The Snowball Effect of a Weekend's Entertainment
by XpaperplaneX
Summary: What was meant to be a relaxing weekend for Sephiroth to blow off some steam turns into something much larger.
1. Chapter 1

_**Title:**_ The Snowball Effect of a Weekend's Entertainment  
><em><strong>Author: <strong>_XpaperplaneX  
><em><strong>Rating:<strong>_ NC-17  
><em><strong>Word Count:<strong>_ ~4200  
><em><strong>Pairing:<strong>_ Sephiroth/Cloud  
><em><strong>Genre:<strong>_ AU, hurt/comfort  
><em><strong>Warnings:<strong>_ dub-con, smut, cat! Cloud  
><em><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>_ I do not own FFVII and make no money from this work.  
><em><strong>Summary:<strong>_ What was meant to be a relaxing weekend for Sephiroth to blow off some steam turns into something much larger.

I don't even know what this is. I know what it was meant to be, which is terribly embarrassing smut. That's _all_ the first chapter is. After that it's just like the title says. Somebody started the ball rolling at the top of the hill with the whys and the wherefores, and it turned weird on me.

So, to sum up, chapter one is embarrassing smut that I can't believe I wrote. (But I refuse to apologize.) The rest is not smut. It's finished, five chapters long, and there's going to be one (_one_, that's it) side-story called _Cloud's Day Out_.

XXX

Sephiroth glanced over the pictures on the walls with distaste. He hated going to places like this, but it was easier than a relationship and besides, he had a fondness for cats. They affected him in a way that full humans didn't. He wasn't like some people, though, who just thought they were mindless slaves. The hybrids were interesting in their own ways and Sephiroth appreciated how obvious they were with their needs. There was no need to beat around the bush with a cat.

"Have you decided?" the burly man at the front desk asked.

Sephiroth frowned. He hated being rushed in choosing, but he saw a good candidate. He liked the unique coloring on him. "This one," he said, pointing at the picture of the blond cat with startling blue eyes.

"That one's pretty, all right, but he's not easy to handle. Why not—"

"I'd like this one," Sephiroth said again, putting his accustomed authority into his voice. He tried to not draw attention to himself in these places—not that visiting a cathouse was frowned upon much, or even unexpected, but it still seemed skeevy and tended to cause rumours in polite society.

"All right, all right, no need to get pushy." The man got up from behind the desk holding a file. "He's not trained for oral, preparation is required for him, and he's a bit jumpy unless you can convince him to relax. He'll probably try to fight you."

"Has he been abused?" Cats tended to want sex. Anytime, with anyone. That's what made them so popular in the sex industry.

The man nodded. "We're not sure where he came from, but he was skittish when we got 'im. Then a couple customers roughed him up a while back and he hasn't settled down since. He's fully healed now, mind you," he added quickly. "Looks just like he does in the picture. The owner's thinking of selling him if he doesn't start behaving, though."

"I see."

"If you want to change your mind—"

"No, I'll give it a shot."

"Okay, I'll set you up in room 12. Do you want us to prepare him or would you rather do it yourself? We can deliver him to you with a plug in and ready to go."

Sephiroth shook his head; when he finally got around to visiting the cathouse, he liked taking his time, and besides, being prepared by the staff probably wasn't the best way to get the cat to relax. "I'll do it."

"There's lube in the room, then. But remember, it's not optional with him. You'll be charged extra for any injuries if you don't prepare him well enough."

"Understood."

"Just give me a few minutes to bring him out." The man turned and disappeared down the hall.

Sephiroth sat down to wait, and it wasn't long before the man came back with the key for room twelve.

"Sixth door on your right. Have a good time."

"I will, thank you. What's his name?"

"Oh." The man seemed startled, as though it wasn't a common question. "He answers to Cloud."

XXX

Sephiroth shut the door quietly behind him, locked it, and glanced around the room; there was no sign of the cat. He heard a soft sound in the far corner of the room, behind the bed, and figured that was where he was. Ignoring it for now, Sephiroth unbuckled his coat and hung it up on the rack, then took off his wide belt and draped it over the back of the chair. He took a small jar of lube out of his pocket—he hated the cheap stuff they provided here—and placed it on the nightstand after unscrewing the lid.

He sat down on the far side of the bed where he could see the end of a tail and the tips of the cat's ears poking out from behind the second nightstand. "Hi, Cloud." Sephiroth spoke in his most gentle voice, but the ears twitched and the tail disappeared from sight. "My name's Sephiroth. Do you want to come out here where I can see you?"

There was no response, so Sephiroth leaned back on his arms and waited. After ten minutes or so, he saw some movement and a pair of gorgeous blue eyes peered out from behind the nightstand. They saw Sephiroth looking and quickly disappeared again.

Sephiroth stood and took a couple steps closer to where the cat was and finally got a look at him. His pale, lean body was curled up and trembling and his eyes looked nervously at him. Cats never ceased to amaze him; Sephiroth knew that they were just a sick experiment done by a scientist who thought he could make a profit off them, but they were the most beautiful creatures Sephiroth had ever seen. It was their eyes that really drew him in. Their slit pupils were so similar to his. And this cat's eyes outdid the rest.

He crouched down so he was near its height and held out his hand, close enough that the cat could lean over and sniff it. To Sephiroth's pleasure and surprise, that was what he did. Cloud sniffed him a couple times, then bumped Sephiroth's fingers with the side of his face.

"That's it," he murmured quietly, "I'm not going to hurt you." He reached a little bit closer and scratched under the cat's chin a couple times. Cloud closed his eyes and tilted his head back slightly, and Sephiroth took the opportunity to shuffle forward.

Cloud's eyes flew open at the sound of Sephiroth's movement and he drew away.

"No, no. Enough of that. I'm not going to hurt you," he repeated. He shuffled forward again, pinning Cloud down in the corner between the nightstand and the wall. His legs were starting to cramp from crouching, and he didn't want to play this game all night. He murmured soothing noises and leaned over to wrap his right arm firmly around Cloud's waist.

Cloud squirmed and yowled, but Sephiroth kept up his murmurs and used his left arm to keep him from thrashing too much as he picked him up. He sat down on the bed; Cloud's knees were in his lap and the rest of his weight was on the bed. He began scrabbling at the blankets and Sephiroth noticed with a frown that his tail was clamped down tightly between his legs.

"Shh, shh, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." Sephiroth kept his right arm tight around Cloud's waist, preventing him from escaping, but used his free hand to rub small circles in Cloud's back. "Just relax. You're okay." He reached around and stroked Cloud's head; the softness of the fur on his cat ears made him smile. He scratched them gently, then went back to rubbing Cloud's back.

Eventually Sephiroth felt Cloud's struggles slow down and his breathing became less panicked. "Good boy. That's better." Sephiroth moved his free hand closer to Cloud's buttocks and, taking note of the slight tensing up Cloud did at that, began rubbing the flesh there. He stroked Cloud's lean thighs, admiring the strong muscles; Cloud was probably an excellent jumper. He couldn't really see the more interesting parts with his arm still around Cloud's waist, but from the feel of the soft genitals bumping into his arm, he had chosen a very good specimen. Now if only he would relax enough to move his tail.

If he hadn't had enhanced hearing, Sephiroth was sure he wouldn't have caught the soft purr that suddenly started.

"You like that, do you?" he said with a smile, continuing to massage and stroke Cloud's hindquarters, though the purring stopped as soon as he spoke. He ran his fingers ticklishly up one thigh, prompting a squawking noise and a squirm that wasn't intended to get him anywhere. He glanced back and saw Cloud looking over his shoulder, his blue eyes staring intensely at him.

Sephiroth looked Cloud straight in the eyes, then bent his head and placed a soft kiss on his ass cheek while running his hand up his inner thighs. He tilted his head to the side so he could look at Cloud's face again; Cloud eyes were wide and disbelieving. In response, Sephiroth looked away again and planted a series of wet, sloppy kisses on Clouds ass, then traced a circle with the tip of his tongue.

The purring started up again, much louder this time, and he could feel the vibration of it. He could also feel Cloud beginning to harden against his arm and noticed the tail beginning to relax a bit. He brushed over it experimentally and was pleased when it seemed to move into his touch.

"Good kitten," he murmured between kisses. He loosened his hold around Cloud's waist slightly and Cloud didn't take advantage of the opportunity. He kept his arm ready to clamp down, not wanting to have to start this all over again, and carefully gripped Cloud's tail, lifting it very gently. "Good kitten. You're such a good boy." The purring had stopped again and Sephiroth felt Cloud's muscles tense, but he didn't try to fight it as Sephiroth passed the tail over to his right hand and held it up, exposing his anus.

The jar he had placed on the other nightstand was just within reach and Sephiroth grabbed it and set it down next to him. He dipped the pad of his thumb in and exhaled on the cool gel a few times to warm it up.

"Stay still now," he said and pressed his thumb gently against the tight ring of muscle. He didn't push, just rubbed the puckered flesh like he had been doing to the rest of Cloud's body earlier. Cloud made an odd noise that sounded like something half way between a purr and a yowl. "Good boy, just stay relaxed for me." He spread the lube around and used his knuckle to apply some slight pressure to the perineum. "I'll make you feel good too."

That was something Sephiroth disliked about being associated among those who preferred cats to humans. He knew that many just took their pleasure from the hybrids without a care for them. Cats were created to want sex and they could climax without much attention, but Sephiroth knew that they liked it when their human partners showed some affection. If they just wanted a hole to fuck, there were toys out there to fill the need and Sephiroth didn't understand why people would treat a living creature like one instead. Maybe his empathy came from being treated like a lab rat all the time.

The previously tense muscles were all but a pile of goo in Sephiroth's lap as he dipped his index finger into the jar. His finger slid into Cloud's hole smoothly; Cloud was tight, but not clenching up. The purring died off and was replaced with the sounds Sephiroth knew well from previous cats he had been with. Cloud was quieter than most, but the soft noises he was making told Sephiroth that he was happy with what he was feeling.

He added a second finger and thrust gently, probing around for the gland that had been tweaked when the hybrids were created. He knew he had hit the over-sensitized area when there was a loud, protesting yowl and Cloud's head banged into his arm. Cloud had twisted his upper body around and was glaring angrily at Sephiroth with his teeth bared.

"Sorry! I didn't mean for it to hurt." Sephiroth backed off for a few moments before very gently brushing over the area again. That got a better reaction and Cloud went back to relaxing on his elbows. Sephiroth shook his head, marvelling at the sensitivity. He always had to be careful not to press against cats' prostates too hard if they weren't nearing orgasm, but it usually just caused a bit of discomfort if he did, not pain.

"When are they going to stop messing with you guys?" he said, mostly to himself. "You're good enough the way you are. Aren't you?" He leaned down and kissed Cloud's rump again.

Feeling certain that Cloud was in no mood to go anywhere, Sephiroth let go of his tail—which stayed up, out of the way—and moved his hand to the hard flesh between Cloud's legs.

At his first touch, Cloud mewled softly and rocked his hips forward into Sephiroth's hand. Sephiroth chuckled and stroked him several times before reaching back to cup his weighty ball sac in his palm. He rolled the delicate flesh over his fingers, prompting more mewls that were beginning to sound a bit desperate. Cloud didn't seem to notice when Sephiroth added another finger to his ass, though it might have had something to do with Sephiroth taking a firm grip on his cock at the same time.

"Set your own pace, Cloud." He spoke slowly, though he thought it might not be necessary; this cat seemed fairly intelligent. And when he held both of his hands still, Cloud began moving: back to impale himself on Sephiroth's fingers, and forward to thrust into his hand. "Good boy."

Sephiroth leaned back a short ways so he could get a better view of the cat on his lap. There was a drop of pearly white pre-come forming and Sephiroth rubbed his thumb over it, spreading it around and carefully pressing his blunt nail into Cloud's slit. "Look at me," he ordered, his voice huskier than usual. He wished he had taken his pants off before he started this, or at least undone them. They were uncomfortably tight at the moment.

Cloud turned his head towards him and looked at him with eyes glazed over with lust. He was worrying his bottom lip as he worked his hips and Sephiroth stretched so he could kiss him without moving his hands. Cloud balked at his approach, clearly unsure of what he was doing.

"Nobody's kissed an adorable thing like you before?" Sephiroth took his hand off Cloud's cock, prompting a protesting whine. "Just for a minute," he assured him.

He cupped Cloud's cheek in his hand and pressed his lips against Cloud's. He obviously didn't know how to respond, so Sephiroth lightly squeezed his jaw to coax him into opening his mouth slightly and slid his tongue in. He could feel the sharp incisors and was careful to avoid them. Cloud seemed to get the picture and began hesitantly kissing back; his rough tongue brushed against Sephiroth's. He liked the way cat tongues felt, but he was glad that they weren't as rough as a real cat's. Receiving oral sex from a cat was interesting enough as it was.

When he pulled away again, Cloud attempted to follow him, prompting a laugh. "Was that nice?" he asked. Cloud nodded in response. "You're pretty clever, aren't you? I'll kiss you again, don't worry." For the moment, however, he returned his attention to their earlier activities.

He spread a small amount of lube over Cloud's erection so it would slide more easily and began stroking him again in time with his thrusts. Cloud's breathing grew heavy and he began clawing at the blanket on the bed. Sephiroth chanced a firmer touch to Cloud's prostate and felt the cock in his hand jerk. He did it again and Cloud yowled, thrusting hard into Sephiroth's hand as he came.

"Good boy," Sephiroth said, slowing down as Cloud began to soften. "Good boy."

Cloud's front half collapsed on the bed—his hips were still held in place by Sephiroth—and began purring happily. He looked back at Sephiroth through lazy eyes.

"Don't fall asleep on me," he said with a smile. He was sure Cloud would be ready to go again in no time. He let his fingers slide out of Cloud's ass and gave him a gentle push. "Go sit on the bed." Cloud yawned widely and stretched his back before moving off of him to sit on his knees on the bed.

"Shit." Sephiroth had glanced down as Cloud moved and noticed the mess on his pants. He jumped up, looking around the room for something he could use to wipe the come off the leather before it stained. He grabbed a hand towel out of the small bathroom and began wiping angrily. He should have taken them off.

A soft noise made him look up. Cloud's ears were flat against his head and he seemed to have shrunk down to about half his original size. He was trembling again and eyeing the corner where Sephiroth had first found him.

"Shit," he said again. "I'm not mad at you. You're a good boy." Cloud continued to tremble and Sephiroth sighed and lowered his voice. "You're a good boy. You didn't do anything wrong." He dropped the towel and sat down, reaching out to stroke Cloud's head. Cloud inched forward and nudged Sephiroth's shoulder with his head, seeming apologetic. "That's it. They're just pants. I'm not going to get mad at you over something like that. Besides, I'm the one who put you there. It's my fault." He wasn't sure if Cloud understood what he was saying, but his tone of voice seemed to be working, and Cloud perked up again.

"Good boy." He leaned in and kissed Cloud again, stroking his soft ears as he did so.

He stood, leaving Cloud slightly breathless, and pulled his boots and pants off. He chuckled as Cloud's eyes grew wide at the sight of his erection. "I'll be gentle," he said as he walked around the bed to get the lube. He faced Cloud as he slowly spread some over himself, watching his face intently. Cloud was still eyeing his cock nervously, but he dropped a hand between his legs and mimicked Sephiroth's actions, stroking himself back to hardness.

When Sephiroth stepped forward, Cloud automatically turned and got on his hands and knees, holding his tail out of the way.

"No," Sephiroth said after a moment's thought. "Lie on your back. I want to be able to see your face." He'd be able to tell if he was hurting Cloud a lot more easily if he was on his back.

Cloud looked confused, but rolled over and, at a nudge from Sephiroth, spread his legs obligingly. It wasn't very common for people to want to take cats on their backs. Cloud probably hadn't had much experience with it, if any.

Sephiroth knelt between Cloud's legs and ran his hand firmly over his chest and stomach. He paused to play with Cloud's erect nipples, pinching the pink buds between his fingers and tugging gently on them. Cloud arched his back and tried to sneak a hand down between his legs, but Sephiroth pushed it away.

"Not yet. I'm going to be inside you when you come again." He teased him a while longer, tickling his stomach and toying with his nipples, then pushed his fingers into Cloud's ass once more, wanting to make sure he was thoroughly stretched and ready for him.

"Naooow," Cloud let out a long whine that sounded oddly similar to the word 'now'.

Sephiroth paused in confusion. "Did you say 'now'?"

"Naow!" Cloud thrust his hips up wantonly and grabbed at Sephiroth's shoulders.

Shrugging, Sephiroth set the oddness aside; he would think about it later when he didn't have a horny cat under him begging to be fucked. "Okay, okay." He withdrew his fingers and lifted Cloud's hips up with one arm and lined himself up. He thrust in quickly and smoothly, watching Cloud's face for signs of discomfort, and waited for a few moments for the strong muscles surrounding him to relax. He needed a moment to calm down and adjust to the heat of Cloud's body, as well. Sure, he had all night, but he didn't want to end this first time too quickly.

When Cloud lifted his legs, wrapping them around Sephiroth's waist so he could use them for leverage, Sephiroth began moving. He thrust slowly at first, but gradually began to move faster since Cloud was clearly capable of taking it. Cloud let out little grunts and whines with each thrust, but his face said that he was enjoying it. Sephiroth laughed as a strand of his hair fell over his shoulder and caught Cloud's attention. He reached out a hand to bat at it several times, so Sephiroth leaned down and caught a nipple between his teeth, biting firmly enough to provoke a yowl and bring Cloud's attention back to him.

"Pay attention to _me_, not my hair," he growled. "I'll let you play with it later if you want." He swept it back, out of the way, and nearly laughed again at the disappointed look on Cloud's face. It didn't stay for long, fortunately; Sephiroth hit Cloud's prostate dead on with a well-aimed thrust, and the hair was immediately forgotten.

Cloud let out a surprised squawk when Sephiroth lifted him up and sat back on his bent legs so Cloud was straddling him. He pressed firmly on Cloud's lower back so he was snug up against him and whispered in his ear, "Ride me."

Cloud wrapped his arms around Sephiroth's neck and put his well-muscled legs to good use. His cries got louder and louder as his erection rubbed between their bodies, and Sephiroth was hard-pressed to not release himself into the warm tightness just yet. He distracted himself by fondling Cloud's tail and nibbling on his neck, but Cloud tightened and loosened his muscles in a rhythm that was difficult to ignore for long.

"Cloud, come. Now," he gasped out.

Cloud's strong arms gripped him even tighter as he bounced a few more times before crying out. Sephiroth felt several spurts of sticky warmth between their bodies and bit his lip, mustering all his self-control as Cloud's ass quivered around him.

"Good boy," he said with a grunt, then tipped Cloud back so he was on top again. Cloud's legs dropped to his sides and Sephiroth lifted them up high over his shoulders, pushing them back towards the headboard and nearly bending Cloud in half in the process. He showed no signs of discomfort, though. Cats were amazingly flexible; Cloud stretched a little further and braced his toes against the headboard, leaving Sephiroth's arms free.

Up on his knees with a firm grip on Cloud's hips, Sephiroth pounded hard into his ass. His eyes darted between Cloud's face and the sight of his cock sliding in and out of that gripping hole. Cloud smiled widely then, a mischievous smile, and reached up to grasp his softened member. He shuffled his legs a bit, getting a better grip with his toes on the headboard, and began stroking himself.

Sephiroth watched, fascinated. They had tried to talk him out of a prize like this because he was a bit difficult? "Yeah," he found himself mumbling, "Get yourself hard again."

Cloud grinned, showing off all his front teeth. He played with his nipples with his unoccupied hand and slowly began hardening once more. He looked less desperate after coming twice and put on a good show for Sephiroth, who was still holding onto his self-control by a thread. He could last until Cloud came a third time; he had to.

Cloud's tail startled a yelp out of him when he felt it begin rubbing up against his balls. The soft hair tickled, but the bone provided a nice firmness to the touch. Shit—he wasn't going to—he would. Cloud was fully erect again; it wouldn't take him long to finish.

"Make yourself come, Cloud. I want to feel you quivering around me again."

The grin was back again and then Cloud closed his eyes and began jerking himself faster. The sound of his breathing grew louder.

"That's it," Sephiroth said, trying to encourage Cloud to come faster. "You're so good."

"Nyaa!" Cloud cried out. It was a somewhat pained sound—he really hadn't given Cloud enough time to recover—but he still had a small amount left to ejaculate.

Sephiroth let himself go and slammed his hips into Cloud, gripping him hard enough to bruise Cloud's hips. He let out a strangled cry of his own as he spilled himself into Cloud's clenching hole. His breath came in gasps and his vision blurred slightly as the pleasure coursed through his body. He had to let go with one hand and brace himself against the wall as he continued to thrust, wanting to drag out the sensations.

Eventually he slowed and finally stopped, shifting back to make space to lower Cloud back onto the bed. "Good boy," he murmured. "You're a very good boy." Cloud felt boneless in his arms as he pulled out and set him down in a comfortable position. "You all tired out?"

Cloud nodded and yawned, then curled up and began purring.

Sephiroth smiled and reached over to the nightstand. The drawer held an assortment of toys, each in a sterilized package. He selected a decently sized plug that would keep Cloud stretched, but not be uncomfortable, lubed it up, and gently eased it in.

Cloud cracked open an eye at his actions, but when Sephiroth didn't do anything else except pull a blanket over them, he closed it again and snuggled up close to Sephiroth's side.

XXX

A/N: WTF, brain. WTF. I hope it was enjoyable.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Thank you, everyone, for being very nice and not shocked and appalled!

XXX

Sephiroth didn't sleep, but held the cat close and stroked his ears as the purring died off into more relaxed breathing. He couldn't stop thinking about what the desk clerk had said about Cloud. While he wasn't one to normally take pity on anyone, he couldn't help but feel terrible about the abuse Cloud had suffered. And cats that got sold from the high-class establishments—this was about as high-class as they came—had nowhere but down to go. It went doubly for Cloud, since he would be sold because of his fear and reluctance. He'd go to a place where the owners wouldn't insist on preparation and the clients wouldn't let him fight back and definitely wouldn't care about getting him calmed down and willing.

He sighed, ignoring the idea that kept poking at his brain. Looking after a cat would be a lot of work that he simply didn't have time for. Of course, he could stop working so much overtime... He snorted in disgust, causing Cloud to twitch in his sleep. His reputation would be ruined if he not only brought home a cat, but also started slacking off at work because of it.

Still, such a beautiful, intelligent creature didn't deserve a life of abuse and suffering. What was his reputation compared to that? He thought of the grand ideals so many new SOLDIERs had: protecting the helpless, fighting for honour, being a hero... Shin-Ra's SOLDIER was nothing like that, but it could be. It could start with their leader doing something small.

He argued back and forth with himself for what seemed like forever, but when he looked at the clock, it hadn't been that long. He really needed to stop trying to justify it to himself and accept that he wanted a cat, and he wanted _this_ cat. While he would provide a better home for Cloud than any of his other options, Sephiroth wasn't one to hide his true intentions under the guise of nobility.

He slipped out of bed and pulled on his pants. If he was going to do this, he needed to do it now before he changed his mind. He finished getting dressed, then carefully eased the plug back out of the sleeping cat and set it aside. Sephiroth wrapped the blanket around him—the idea of carting around a naked, obviously fucked cat did not appeal—and lifted him up, trying not to disturb him. Cloud stirred and yawned, but didn't even open his eyes as he settled down with his head resting on Sephiroth's shoulder.

Sephiroth stole quietly out of the room and walked back to the lobby area. The desk clerk was still there, and he looked up in surprise when he saw Sephiroth coming down the hall.

"Is there a problem?"

"No problem," Sephiroth answered. "I want to buy him. You said the owner was planning to sell him, right?"

"Well, yes, but we don't—I mean—you want to buy him just like that?"

"Just like that. He's a good-looking cat, but he's got behavioural problems. You won't get more than sixty thousand gil for him if you're very lucky. I'll give you eighty." Sephiroth threw out random numbers that seemed appropriately high, hoping he wasn't guessing too low. He assumed they weren't cheap or they'd be a lot more common.

The man sputtered in shock. "Ei—eighty!"

"Eighty thousand," Sephiroth said slowly. Apparently that was high enough; he wondered if it was perhaps _too_ high. "Call the owner if you have to, but you're not going to get a better buyer than that."

"I will have to clear it with him..." The clerk eyed him suspiciously. "Why do you want him? Was he well behaved?"

Sephiroth shrugged. "It took some doing to convince him to calm down, but eventually he did behave. I want him because he was fun. I like a challenge, and I like the way he looks."

"All right. I guess you can just have a seat or something while I call. You want to take him with you right away?"

"Yes, I'd prefer to. I've gained his trust and I'd like to avoid having to re-earn it if I can." Sephiroth sat down in the comfortable lobby chair to wait. This was slightly more than he had been planning to spend on entertainment this weekend. Ah well, it wasn't like he'd be breaking the bank to afford it. He stroked Cloud's cheek with one finger and smiled when he nuzzled at him sleepily.

"How do you plan on paying?" the clerk's voice interrupted his thoughts. He was holding his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone.

"I can do a bank transfer to the business if you give me the account number."

The clerk nodded and passed the information on. Sephiroth had considered a credit card, but was fairly sure they wouldn't accept that. It'd be too easy for someone to cancel the transaction and disappear with the cat. A bank transfer was as good as cash.

A short while later, the clerk hung up the phone and gestured for Sephiroth to come over. "The Don's agreed. Eighty thousand gil via bank transfer."

Sephiroth pulled out his PHS and opened his banking program. He punched in the account number the man gave him and the amount, then took a deep breath and hit 'transfer funds'. He couldn't believe it. He owned a cat. This was absolutely ridiculous.

He tugged the blanket closer around Cloud as he waited for the confirmation of the transfer to arrive. It would be worth it, he told himself. Cloud was worth it.

"I guess the blanket can be on the house... Do you need any help with getting him out to your car?" The clerk sounded rather reluctant to do any _actual_ helping.

"No, I can manage."

"Okay, well, he's toilet trained and up-to-date on all his shots. We got him a month ago, so that's when he got the shots." He shrugged. "I guess that's all you need to know. Cats need a high meat content in their meals, but balance it out with some vegetables and starches."

Sephiroth nodded; he'd pick up some books on caring for cats tomorrow. Maybe look for a vet. It would be Saturday, so he'd have time to figure things out before the workweek.

"And he's yours. Transfer's gone through. This is all his paperwork; just let me sign acknowledging the sale. Congratulations, I suppose."

"Thanks." Sephiroth shook the clerk's offered hand and left the building without another word. He heard shouts from the livelier side of the Honeybee, where those looking for human prostitutes went, but it didn't seem to be anything serious.

Cloud didn't stir as he set him down in the passenger seat of the car and buckled him up. He slept the whole way back to his apartment and only raised his head momentarily when Sephiroth picked him up again. Three orgasms might have been a bit much. Though the stress Cloud had gone through was probably a big contributing factor as well.

He crept quietly through his apartment without turning the lights on and lowered Cloud carefully onto the bed. Cloud stretched and yawned, then shut his eyes, purring again.

XXX

A soft noise of distress was what caused Sephiroth to wake. It was early; the sky was just beginning to lighten, but Sephiroth could see Cloud clearly. He was sitting bolt upright and his eyes were darting around the unfamiliar room. His tail was puffed up; Sephiroth could see the tremors running through his body.

"It's okay," he whispered. "This is a strange place, isn't it?"

Cloud's ears turned towards the noise and he stared at Sephiroth with wide, frightened eyes.

"Do you remember me? You were so tired last night; I don't think you noticed when I moved you." He held out his hand and Cloud flinched away before inching forward to sniff it. Cloud let him rub his ears and moved a bit closer, pushing his head into Sephiroth's touch. "That's it, you remember me. I'm not going to hurt you. This is my home."

Cloud looked at him quizzically, then glanced around again.

"You're going to live here from now on. Would you like that?" Sephiroth wasn't quite sure what he'd do if Cloud responded negatively, feeling fairly certain that the cathouse didn't offer refunds on spur of the moment purchases. But Cloud didn't respond at all, no nod or shake of the head. It wasn't common, but Sephiroth had kind of been banking on that ability when he made his decision. Maybe there was just too much going on for Cloud to be able to respond. Or maybe he just didn't know yet.

"Would you like to explore a bit?" It was still early, but there was little chance of Cloud going back to sleep until he felt safe. He rolled out of bed and patted his thigh. "Come on, let's take a look around."

Cloud hopped off the bed and landed near Sephiroth's feet. He stood up partway, clutching at Sephiroth's arm, then crouched again, before standing once more. Sephiroth hadn't seen a lot of cats outside of the cathouses and found this behaviour peculiar. Cloud didn't seem to be very good at standing up—Sephiroth found himself needing to offer a fair bit in the way of balance as Cloud took a few shaky steps.

"You don't have to stand," he said. The Turk, Cissnei, had a real cat and Sephiroth remembered that when it was frightened, it slunk around with its body as flat against the floor as possible. Cloud might feel safer that way.

Cloud dropped to the floor at once and butted his head against Sephiroth's knee. He leaned down and gave him a quick pat. "This is the bedroom," he said, "And there's a bathroom through here." Cloud followed closely at his heels as he walked over and pushed the door all the way open. "Do you need to go?"

Again, Cloud didn't respond. He crept a few paces into the bathroom, glanced around, and crept back out.

"Okay, well, it's there for when you need it. Don't forget." Sephiroth led him to the bedroom door and opened it while Cloud cowered behind his legs. "There's nothing scary out here, don't worry." He stepped out into the hall and headed towards the living room, pointing out the various things as he went. Linen closet, spare bedroom, second bathroom, office. Cloud poked his head into each one but didn't go far. "And this is the living room and over there's the kitchen. That's it. You can go check it out. I'm going to make some breakfast for us."

At those words, Cloud's ears perked up and he meowed loudly.

"Are you hungry?" Sephiroth asked, laughing.

Cloud nodded several times and meowed again.

Sephiroth smiled in relief. Cloud was probably just overwhelmed and frightened before and that's why he didn't respond to his earlier questions. "Okay, I'll make you something good. Now go explore." He gave Cloud a light push then headed over to the kitchen. Hopefully he had something appropriate to feed a cat.

In the forty-five minutes it took for Sephiroth to decide on what to have and cook it, Cloud got over his initial fear and Sephiroth had watched his excitement grow with an odd fascination. Cloud seemed to want to check everything out thoroughly. Sephiroth supposed he hadn't had much experience outside of wherever they kept the cats when they weren't in service and rooms much like the one they had been in last night.

He did have to wonder, however, at what was so terribly interesting in the coat closet. Cloud had gone in it and there had been silence for five minutes or so. Sephiroth had nearly forgotten where he was until he suddenly sprang out of it with a loud yowl and bounded across the room. He landed on the back of the couch with his tail puffed up and a wild look in his eyes.

It was strange. Sephiroth didn't regret his purchase for a moment, but Cloud certainly wasn't what he had expected. Although, he supposed he hadn't really thought about what cats might act like outside of sexual situations. What Cloud had just done was something he would have expected from Cissnei's cat, yet his body was far more similar to a human's than a cat's. It definitely _looked_ strange, and it didn't help that Cloud wasn't wearing clothes.

Cloud hopped down off the couch and headed down the hallway. A few minutes later, Sephiroth heard the toilet flush and Cloud came back out, announcing his presence with a loud "Meow-ow!"

"Did you wash your hands?" Sephiroth asked. Looking him over, Sephiroth decided that he could do with a proper washing sometime soon. The evidence of last night's activities was still all over him.

Cloud made a face and grinned widely at him. Sephiroth took it as a 'no'.

"Come over here." He got Cloud standing up and held his hands under the tap. Cloud protested loudly, but Sephiroth was firm, scrubbing them thoroughly with soap. "You have to wash your hands after every time you use the toilet. Do you understand?"

Cloud squirmed and tried to wiggle away, but couldn't escape until Sephiroth let him go. When he did, Cloud scampered off and jumped onto the couch, where he sat licking the water off his hands with his tail thumping angrily.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and turned back to the sausages, which were only slightly blackened on one side. He divided them up onto two plates, giving Cloud a couple more sausages and less of the hash browns and eggs. It would be good enough for now, he supposed, and he could research Cloud's dietary requirements later.

"Here, Cloud, breakfast's ready."

Cloud hopped up on the chair that Sephiroth pulled out for him, all thoughts of the recent hand-washing trauma forgotten. Sephiroth set the plate down in front of him, as well as utensils and a glass of water. He poured himself a cup of coffee, but thought that cats probably didn't need caffeine.

Sephiroth watched with interest as Cloud sniffed at his plate curiously. He had never actually seen a cat eat before. Cloud ignored the utensils and delicately picked up a sausage and nibbled at it. He grinned and clacked his teeth at Sephiroth before taking a bigger bite. Cloud ate neatly, despite using his hands, and licked his fingers clean whenever he finished something or set it down. He picked up his glass of water with both hands and drank thirstily. Sephiroth thought, a little guiltily as Cloud drained the glass, that he probably should have offered him some water earlier. He took it away and refilled it; Cloud grinned at him again when he set it down in front of him.

"Do you know how to put more water in that?" he asked pointing at the glass.

Cloud spent a moment swallowing the sausage that was in his mouth then shook his head from side to side.

"I'll show you after breakfast." Something like that should be within Cloud's capabilities and it would be a good skill to have.

Cloud ate the eggs, but avoided the hash browns after the first bite. He was happy enough to eat another sausage when Sephiroth offered it to him, however.

"Don't like the hash browns?"

Cloud made a face and pushed the plate away.

"Yeah, they weren't the best. A bit freezer-burned. Are you still hungry?"

Cloud shook his head, hopped down from the chair, and stretched. Sephiroth grabbed a damp cloth and wiped off Cloud's hands, figuring that washing them probably wasn't worth the fuss, but he didn't want greasy handprints all over the place, either. He gathered up the dishes and put them in the dishwasher, then called to Cloud.

"Come here, I'll show you how to get water." Sephiroth lifted Cloud up and sat him on the counter next to the sink. "I'll put glasses down here for you," he said, taking a couple out of the cupboard and setting them at the back of the counter.

Cloud nudged his way past Sephiroth's arm and peered into the cupboard.

"Hey, pay attention. You don't need anything else in there. The glasses are here. This is the tap." Cloud scowled at the thing that had made his hands wet. "It's multi-purpose. To turn it on and make water come out, you push it up. If you turn it this way, it's cold water, and this way, it's hot. Can you remember that?" Sephiroth had his doubts; this lesson would probably need a few repetitions before it stuck. For the moment, Cloud was interested in the water coming out of the tap and trying to catch it. How that was different from getting his hands wet to wash them, Sephiroth couldn't fathom.

"To turn it off, you push down." Sephiroth shut the water off, and Cloud frowned at him for taking his toy away. "Okay, I'm going to fill a glass. I want you to watch."

He demonstrated, and Cloud seemed to actually pay attention. "Now you try," he said, dumping the water out of the glass and handing it to Cloud.

He hit snags immediately. Cloud held the glass with both hands, and therefore couldn't turn on the tap while he was holding it. When he tried holding it with one, he dropped it almost immediately, and Sephiroth had to move quickly to catch it.

"Try putting it down in the sink, then turning on the tap. You can move it to catch the water."

That worked better. It took a few tries for him to get the glass in the right spot, and it dripped water everywhere when he got the tap shut off again and lifted it proudly. But it worked. Cloud could get himself water.

"Good boy," Sephiroth said and gave Cloud's ears a scratch while he gulped his prize. "Make sure you always turn the tap off when you're done."

When Cloud was done drinking, Sephiroth took the glass away and looked at his hands. They were a lot smaller than his, but Cloud was smaller in general. Cloud sat patiently on the counter while Sephiroth bent and straightened his fingers and pressed on his palms. They seemed pretty much the same as his hands as far as he could tell—not as flexible, but that didn't explain why couldn't Cloud hold a glass with one hand.

"Come into the light." Sephiroth picked Cloud up and carried him over near the windows where the morning sun was filling the room with light. He sat down and examined Cloud's hands more closely. There were white lines crisscrossing all over his palms and fingers. How would he get scars like that? "Did you hurt your hands?" he asked.

Cloud blinked and rested his head on Sephiroth's shoulder, looking out the window. Somehow it seemed far more likely that someone had hurt them for him if it had been bad enough to interfere with his use of them and leave so many scars.

"Well, enough of that. No one's going to hurt you here. I'm sure they can be strengthened if we work at it." Cloud had begun to purr, clearly happy where he was on Sephiroth's lap, so he carried him with him to his office to do some research.

Much to his annoyance, most of the discussion groups and informative sites he found on cats had more to do with their various abilities in the bedroom and less to do with how to care for them properly. He did find one message board where someone had asked what to do with their sick cat. There had been a unanimous outpouring of answers saying to take it to the Sector Seven Veterinary Hospital. Cloud wasn't sick, but maybe someone there could give him some better information. It probably also wouldn't hurt to get him checked out in case something was wrong.

He jotted down the address and phone number of the hospital, but it was too early to call. Showering would probably be the best thing to tackle next; there was absolutely no way that he was taking Cloud to see a vet in his current state.

XXX

Cloud eyed the shower suspiciously while Sephiroth stripped. Sephiroth had locked the door and hoped that would be enough to keep Cloud trapped. He picked Cloud up, but after one step towards the shower stall, Cloud began making such a racket that he was certain the neighbours would hear.

"It's just water; it's not going to kill you." He set Cloud down again and crouched next to him. Damn, that was hard on the eardrums. The water wasn't even on yet! He rubbed Cloud's back, trying to calm him down, while he thought of what to do. If he could distract him... but he didn't have any toys for him to play with yet. Although—Sephiroth glanced down at Cloud's nakedness—there were other methods of distraction that might work.

He reached down and traced his fingers lightly over Cloud's penis. The pitiful mewlings Cloud had been making abruptly stopped and he looked down. Sephiroth shifted so he was sitting cross-legged and held Cloud in his lap with his back leaning against his chest.

"I'm not so bad, am I?" he asked, applying a firmer touch and bending his head to lick Cloud's neck.

"Nyo." Cloud squirmed into his touch and spread his legs, giving Sephiroth easy access to anything his might want to touch. It didn't take long for Cloud to start breathing heavily as Sephiroth stroked him.

Sephiroth stopped suddenly and stood up, leaving Cloud sitting on the floor, blinking in bewilderment. When Cloud attempted to touch himself, Sephiroth snatched his hands up. "No. If you want me to continue, you have to go in the shower."

Cloud looked terrified as his ears flattened against his head and he let out a warbling noise. Sephiroth really hoped it wouldn't be considered _too_ evil to coax him into the shower like this. The water _wouldn't_ kill him.

"I'm not going to turn it on yet, but you have to go in the shower."

Cloud reluctantly followed him, warbling pathetically the entire time. He cowered in the corner while Sephiroth cleared the shampoo off its low shelf. He sat Cloud down on it and knelt between his legs. Cloud had gone soft again, but began to harden quickly as Sephiroth took his length into his mouth. Still, though his body reacted as Sephiroth sucked him, the warbling didn't stop, and the fitful movement of Cloud's hands spoke of distress, not pleasure.

He sighed and let Cloud's cock slip out of his mouth. "This _isn't _the end of the world, Cloud. Would you like that better as a reward for being a good boy and getting cleaned up?"

Cloud didn't respond. The poor thing looked absolutely terrified. Well, there was no use in dragging it out any longer, then. A quick wash and it would be over. He picked Cloud up, balancing him on his hip and holding him with one arm wrapped snug around his waist, and then turned on the faucet.

"Nyo! Nyo, nyo, nyo!" Cloud squirmed and kicked and did everything in his power to escape, but Sephiroth held him firmly and stepped into the spray once it warmed up.

"It's okay," he had to shout to be heard over the shower and the yelling. "Just calm down." He grabbed for some soap and rubbed it over Cloud's body, not really caring how thorough a job he did, just as long as it was good enough to get the worst of the mess off him. Eventually, Cloud seemed to realize that he couldn't escape, and clung to Sephiroth's shoulders, trembling and crying, with the occasional 'nyo' still escaping.

It hadn't taken more than three minutes, tops, but Cloud was absolutely miserable when Sephiroth shut off the shower and stepped out. He tried to be gentle and compassionate as he wrapped a fluffy towel around him and started rubbing him dry, but the crying continued. He felt a twinge of guilt when he saw actual tears on Cloud's face, not just water.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, carefully wiping his face dry. He must have gone about this the wrong way, but he couldn't think of how else he was supposed to keep Cloud clean. A bath would surely be just as bad, but it didn't seem possible that cats might not need to bathe. Despite their similarities to regular cats, he was certain that the hybrids did not and _could_ _not_ keep themselves clean like a cat.

When they were both dried off, Sephiroth carried Cloud out to the bedroom. He couldn't bring himself to give Cloud his 'reward' when he was like this and doubted that Cloud would want it, so he got dressed and searched his drawers for something that might be suitable for a cat to wear outside. He found a pair of sweatpants that must have belonged to someone else—they were way too small for him, but looked like they might fit Cloud all right.

Cloud lay in a heap of misery on the bed and stayed completely limp as Sephiroth pulled the pants on him, marked where the base of his tail was, and pulled them off again. He cut a circle out of the fabric and set them aside; if Cloud wasn't used to wearing clothes, he probably wouldn't like them much, and Sephiroth wanted to avoid more trauma until it was absolutely necessary. And he did need to give Cloud _some sort _of reward for getting through the shower. Food seemed like a good idea; he went to the kitchen and searched the pantry for an appropriate treat.

"Hey, Cloud, would you like a treat?" Sephiroth crouched down next to the bed and held out a small piece of beef jerky.

Cloud raised his head slightly and sniffed cautiously before looking at Sephiroth, suspicion and anger clouding his expression.

"It's a reward. You were a good boy and survived the shower. I'm not going to do anything else to you. Take it."

Cloud refused to take it from his hand, but when he set it down on the bedspread, Cloud snatched it up.

"Want some more?" Sephiroth tore off another small piece and held it out so it was lying flat on his fingers. Cloud regarded him for a moment, then snatched it off his hand, his rough tongue brushing lightly against Sephiroth's fingers. "Good boy."

Cloud began to look less and less miserable as he ate the small pieces of jerky one by one. When he was finished, Sephiroth held out his hands for Cloud to see. "All gone." Cloud nudged them, sniffing for more, and then began licking Sephiroth's fingertips to get the last of the flavour.

Sephiroth cupped Cloud's chin in his hand and leaned in to kiss him softly. "Good boy. Do you still hate me?"

"Nyo." That was a petulant-sounding answer if he had ever heard one, but Cloud nuzzled his cheek before turning away to curl up in a ball on the bed. Sephiroth ran his hand over Cloud's still-damp hair a couple times before turning to go.


	3. Chapter 3

By the way, I knock off a zero for my gil to Canadian dollars conversion.

**Chapter 3**

"Sector Seven Veterinary Hospital, how can I help you?" a cheerful voice answered the phone.

Sephiroth cleared his throat. "I'd like to make an appointment to bring my cat in. I, um, heard you specialize in hybrids."

"That's right, we do. When would you like to come in?"

"Would it be possible to come in today?" Sephiroth asked. "I just got him and I was hoping to ask some questions. I..."

"Got him on an impulse and have no clue how to take care of him?"

Sephiroth wasn't quite sure how to interpret her tone. They must get calls like this so often. "Yes," he said, feeling rather sheepish.

"Let's see, I can fit you in at eleven fifteen with Dr. Gainsborough for a checkup and a consultation. Does that work?"

Sephiroth glanced at the clock. "Yes, that would be fine."

"Can I get your name?"

"Sephiroth."

"Last na—you don't have one, do you?"

"No," Sephiroth answered flatly. He always hated that. Just one more little thing that made him odd.

"Well, I'll put 'General'. The system thinks last names are mandatory. And what's your cat's name?"

"It's Cloud."

"Great, we'll see you and Cloud at eleven fifteen. If you have any paperwork for him, please be sure to bring it."

"I will. Thank you."

Sephiroth hung up the phone and jotted down a few of the questions he wanted to ask, then figured he should probably get Cloud ready to go. He wasn't sure how long it would take to find the place and didn't want to be late.

XXX

Cloud's hand darted up as they stepped through the door into the clinic and Sephiroth lifted him a bit higher so he could bat at the chimes that rang when it opened.

"Do you like those?"

Cloud nodded, smiling happily. So far, he had quite enjoyed the adventure to the car and driving to the clinic, though it had been nerve-wracking for Sephiroth every time Cloud twisted around in his seat or fiddled with the door latch.

"Maybe we can get you some for at home. Or maybe something a bit quieter. That's enough." He lowered Cloud back down. The ringing was a bit much; surely something that simply dangled would be just as fun. He stepped up to the front desk just as a young woman in colourful scrubs came from the back.

"Hi, is this Cloud?" she asked, holding out her hand for Cloud to sniff.

"Yes." Sephiroth handed over Cloud's file, then rubbed his back. He had felt his muscles tense up when the woman came out.

"Nice to meet you, Cloud. Would you like a treat?" She pulled out what looked like an ordinary oatmeal cookie from a jar and Cloud reached for it with a smile. "If you could just fill out this paperwork for me, that would be great. You can have a seat wherever, and the doctor will be with you in a few minutes. You can let him explore if you'd like." She handed him a clipboard with a form on it.

Sephiroth nodded and set Cloud down on one chair, taking the seat next to him. For now, Cloud seemed content to munch on his cookie and look at all the new things. Sephiroth scratched his ears absently while he filled out his information on the form. At least the people here seemed friendly; he hadn't been sure what to expect. What he knew of doctors wasn't good.

"And remember, I don't want her working until the infection is _completely_ gone." A door on the right hand side of the back wall opened and two men came out, followed by an older woman in more austere scrubs than the receptionist. "Bring her back immediately if it gets worse," the woman was saying.

"Got it, Doc." One of the men led a female cat to a crate that Sephiroth hadn't noticed earlier and nudged her in with his foot.

Was Cloud supposed to travel in a crate? It seemed a bit unnecessary; seatbelts fit perfectly well and Cloud _did_ listen when Sephiroth yelled at him to sit still. He watched with a frown as the two heaved the crate up, not seeming too concerned about jostling the cat inside and carried it out to a pickup truck. The crate didn't have any blankets in it and the cat wasn't wearing clothes; wouldn't she be cold riding in the back like that?

One man stayed out to lash the crate down, while the other one came back inside to pay. As the receptionist was ringing him up, he turned to Sephiroth. "Nice one you've got there. How is he?"

"Good," Sephiroth answered cautiously.

"Yeah? Hard to tell with those clothes on." He stepped over and reached for Cloud, who cowered immediately. Sephiroth grabbed his arm and squeezed hard enough to serve as a warning.

"He doesn't like strangers touching him."

"Oh, please. You cater to them like that and suddenly—"

"Here's your receipt," the girl at the desk interrupted.

"Ah, thanks." The man turned away and Sephiroth stroked Cloud's head to soothe him.

"Finish your cookie," he said quietly. He glared as the man left without another word. Not letting some random stranger grope Cloud wasn't catering to him.

"You guys can come back now," the girl said. "I'll take that form. The room on your left, if you would. Did you like the cookie, Cloud?"

Cloud nodded, licking his lips.

"Well, you come see me again when you're done, and I'll give you another."

Cloud followed Sephiroth through to the exam room; the doctor came in a couple minutes later, through a second door.

"Hi there, I'm Dr. Elmyra Gainsborough. Nice to meet you." She held out her hand and Sephiroth shook it, noting her firm grip.

"Sephiroth. General," he added with a wry grin. "And this is Cloud."

"Ah, yes. Mandy mentioned the issue with your name. Hi, Cloud. Want to hop up on this table for me?" She patted the exam table.

Cloud looked up at Sephiroth, then leapt, landing a little clumsily. The pants he was wearing seemed to get in the way a bit.

"Thank you," she said. "You're very good at jumping."

Cloud smiled proudly, baring all his teeth.

"So, you just got him?" Dr. Gainsborough began inspecting Cloud, who seemed to trust her enough to sit still while she did so. The woman had a manner about her that seemed to inspire trust—unlike Hojo.

"Yes, I brought him home last night."

"Where from?"

"Um, the Honeybee. The cathouse there. I gave his paperwork to... Mandy?" Gaia, he must sound like some sort of sick pervert. He was sure they got people like that all the time here, but that didn't make him feel any better about it.

"The Honeybee's as good a place as any, though I didn't think they did many private sales. Liked him, did you?" She looked in all four of Cloud's ears with a bright light, then snapped her fingers next to each one a few times. She covered one ear at a time and snapped again at the uncovered one on the same side. "Human ears are completely nonfunctional," she muttered, jotting down some notes in a file.

"Yeah. I don't know. It was an impulse, but I don't regret it. I like cats, and I just want to learn how to take care of him properly."

"Well, that's something. So many people buy one, thinking they'll have a convenient sex toy, but don't bother to learn even the basics."

"What did you mean about his ears?" Sephiroth asked, ignoring the sex toy comment.

"When cats were first created, it was decided that getting rid of their human ears wouldn't be aesthetically pleasing. A human head would look strange if there were no ears where we're used to seeing ears. So they decided to keep the human ears as well as add cat ones. Over the years, there's been a lot of debate over whether or not the cat ears should be functional or just decorative. Cloud is part of the group that went with functional cat ears; they liked the responsiveness of the ears when they can hear. The result is loss of hearing in his human ears."

"Oh." Sephiroth hadn't really thought of that. Two sets of ears would make things difficult if they both worked. He did like the way Cloud's ears would turn towards him when he spoke.

"Open your mouth for me, sweetie. Show me your teeth." Sephiroth was startled for a moment—no one called him 'sweetie'—before realizing that the doctor had gone back to speaking to Cloud. "Looks good... his teeth need to be brushed every day. Twice if he'll tolerate it, but once a day is good enough if it's too much trouble. Use a children's toothbrush with soft bristles, and there's toothpaste available that won't hurt them if they swallow it. Some cats really like getting them brushed, and some hate the sensation. Be gentle and patient. It's a bit annoying, but it's sometimes helpful if you brush your teeth at the same time if you're having trouble. They like to mimic people."

"So, I'd brush my teeth for a little while, then do his for a little while and switch?"

"Yep, just like that. Like I said, annoying, but effective. His nails should be trimmed once a week or so. Again, be gentle. They're just like human nails, so it's at least simple. No need to worry about the quick. Do you have any concerns about him?"

"A couple. I was teaching him how to get water, but he can't hold a glass with one hand. I wasn't sure if that was normal or not." The doctor frowned. Nope, not normal. "So I looked at his hands and they've got scars all over the palms and insides of his fingers." He took one of Cloud's hands and pointed out the extensive marks on them.

"Hmm." The doctor grabbed a magnifying lens on a stand from the counter and set it next to Cloud. She switched on a light in it and looked through it at his hands until Cloud bumped her head aside to see what she was looking at.

The confusion on Cloud's face had them both stifling giggles. Cloud looked through the lens, then around it, then back through the lens again. He moved his hands experimentally, seeming bewildered at their apparent size. Sephiroth watched Dr. Gainsborough reach very slowly for a toy snake that had also been on the counter. Cloud didn't notice until she tossed it under the lens, making it appear huge.

Cloud yelped and threw his hands up in the air, nearly falling off the table in the process, and they both burst out laughing. He managed to catch the snake before it fell on the floor and bit it fiercely. His tail was puffed up, and he glared indignantly at them both.

"I'm sorry," Dr. Gainsborough gasped, "I couldn't resist. The curious ones are my favourites, but it's so tempting to play tricks on them. I consider it fair play for all the times I've had someone spring out at me from a dark corner."

Sephiroth made a heroic effort to get his laughter under control as he cradled Cloud's head, attempting to soothe his bruised dignity. Cloud simply gnawed on the snake and thumped his tail.

"Do they really do that? Jump out at you?"

"Oh yes. It's the smart ones like Cloud who are the worst for it. And he won't have a care for _your_ pride when you shriek like a small child."

"That's good to know. I have a tendency to react violently to things like that. I'll be careful not to."

The doctor pried Cloud's hands off the snake and examined them one at a time, then had him squeeze her hands to test his strength.

"I don't know if much can be done," Sephiroth said, "Since they're pretty old. But I thought if I stretched them every day and maybe got a couple of those stress balls for him, he could get back some of his strength."

"He'd have to be supervised with the stress balls. I'm pretty sure they'd be toxic if he started chomping on them, though I'd have to double-check the contents to know for certain. But if you're willing to put the effort in, I think that would do him a lot of good."

"I am." Sephiroth wasn't quite sure where he'd find the time, but he'd manage. Cloud deserved functional hands.

"Good. I suspect broken glass or something similar caused the injuries in the first place, but I can't feel anything that would suggest that there's glass in the wounds still. If it seems to be causing him pain, bring him back in and we'll run some more tests. Is there anything else?"

"Not really problems, just questions, if you've got time."

"Go ahead, you're my last appointment of the day." She sat down on a wheeled chair and gestured at a stool for Sephiroth. Cloud had flopped over on the table and was gnawing happily on the snake with his tail thumping every once in a while.

"I noticed the people who were in here before put their cat in a crate. Do I have to do that for Cloud? I just put the seatbelt on him."

A dark look crossed the doctor's face. "No, a seatbelt is just fine. Lock the doors when you're driving and don't let him hang his head out the window—dirt and rocks can hit his eyes—and he'll be safe enough. I don't recommend teaching him how to buckle or unbuckle the seatbelt, though. He might learn anyways, but just make it clear that the seatbelt has to stay on when you're driving."

"Okay, that's good. He seemed to like looking out the window. I also wondered, should he be walking upright, or is it okay to let him go on his hands and knees? He seemed really confused this morning, and he needed me to help him balance when he was standing up."

"That's up to you. Cloud's skeletal structure is mostly human; he's built to walk upright, but his instincts are telling him to go on all fours. I'm sure it's quite confusing. I encourage all of my clients to have their cats stand as often as possible. It helps people to think of them more as sentient beings, and less as animals to be taken advantage of."

"Right, I guess that's a problem, isn't it?"

"It is. Hybrids are very intelligent, but they're not treated as though they are. Cats that have been in the industry since a young age often never learn to walk upright. Their owners want them on their knees. Beneath them." Sephiroth could tell that this was a troubling issue for the doctor. "That's most likely the case with Cloud. You might need to help him learn to balance on two feet, but it will be much easier to respect him the way he deserves if you're willing to do that."

"I'll do it. I just wasn't sure if he was able or not."

"He's built for it. Of course, there are times when being down low is necessary," she said with a smile. "You can't pounce very well at all from two feet."

"Speaking of their intelligence," Sephiroth said, remembering last night and the shower, "Can they learn to speak?"

Dr. Gainsborough looked startled. "Why do you ask?"

"I probably sound crazy, but there were a couple times when I could have sworn he said actual words. They fit with the context, and although they could probably have been just the regular sounds he makes, it seemed like he was saying it on purpose."

"What did he say?"

"'Now' and 'no'. It wasn't _exactly_ like that. A bit more, I don't know... cat-like, but..."

"Was it in a sexual situation?"

Sephiroth ducked his head. This woman clearly didn't approve of the industry.

"Don't be ashamed. Cats are what they are and as long as they're not being abused, I'm not out to shame the people who like them. It's the lack of foresight and regulation and the attitudes of some people that bothers me, not that it happens."

"Lack of foresight?"

"Cats were created some thirty years ago. Due to the health problems they faced back then, the oldest ones still alive are around twenty-five. It's suspected that with appropriate care, they'll have a similar lifespan to humans. But they exist to provide sexual services for humans. That's all they do. I have yet to see a cat that has been trained to do something else. But what happens when they start getting older? When they're no longer as attractive to the clients? When they're unable to perform? They're entirely dependent on people for their care, so what do you think will happen to them then?"

"Oh."

"Oh, indeed. The cathouse owners aren't going to care for cats that can't earn their keep. It's a huge problem and it's coming up faster than anyone can prepare for it."

"_Is_ anyone preparing for it?" Sephiroth asked, feeling a little overwhelmed. He had never considered that cats would grow old as well and what might happen to them when that happened. He had contributed to that, he thought, by always choosing the younger-looking cats. How could he have not realized the problem?

"There are rescue groups out there. At the moment, we're taking in cats that have been abused and trying to find better homes for them, but we're trying to plan ahead. There's so little funding, though. No one donates to the Society for Cat-Hybrid Rehabilitation. It's sick and twisted. Something only perverts would be associated with. Though those same people who condemn the rescue groups are often the ones patronizing the cathouses. But back to your question, yes, cats can learn to speak."

The abrupt change of subject caught Sephiroth off guard. "Really?"

"Really. Cloud will nod 'yes' and 'no', right? I guarantee he understands most things you say, and his vocabulary will expand with more experience. Speak to him about anything you want and he'll learn. If you make an effort to explain things, he'll learn even faster.

"Speech is quite difficult for cats, though. Their tongues and teeth are different enough from ours that it's hard, but not so different that it's impossible. He probably knows what he wants to say; it's just making the words come out right that's problematic. In a sexual situation—which is why I asked—he's going to be feeling more relaxed and less easily embarrassed, so he might try a few words. If it didn't work, you would probably just brush it off as a random sound rather than laughing at him."

"He's afraid I'd laugh at him?"

"Many people would. And cats are very dignified. It's a big risk to take."

Sephiroth made a pointed look at Cloud, who had fallen asleep with the snake hanging out of his mouth and was drooling on the table. "Is that so?"

"Weeell, they think they are, at any rate. They're are also quite often discouraged from speaking by their owners."

"Why—" Sephiroth cut himself off. He knew why. "A sex toy isn't much good if it can say it doesn't want to."

"Exactly. No one asks them because they don't want to know the answers. But if you encourage him, and don't laugh if he sounds strange, you should be able to converse with him."

Sephiroth found himself smiling. "That's great," he said. "It really is." He wasn't sure what sort of things Cloud might want to talk about, but he was certain it would be a nice break from the stress of SOLDIER.

"I've got some pamphlets and books on taking care of cats if you're interested. They have information on the topics we've discussed as well as tips on getting him to start speaking and general care."

"Yes, please. I'll get whatever you recommend. I had considered how much work it would be when I got him, but I didn't really think about how much I don't know. I don't even know what to feed him, and the shower was disastrous."

"You gave him a shower?" Dr. Gainsborough raised her eyebrows. "And he forgave you? I'm impressed."

"He needed to be washed and that was the quickest way to do it that I could think of," Sephiroth protested.

"In the future, I suggest putting him in a dry bathtub, then filling it slowly. It's like boiling a frog, really. Just check the temperature of the water—don't boil him. Put some toys in there with him. Ones that float will bring endless amusement. Pour water over his head to get it wet—don't dunk him; causes ear infections and makes for an angry cat. If you splash around and make it seem like fun, he should be all right." The doctor began putting the various instruments she had used away.

"I don't quite get the difference between getting wet in a tub and getting wet in the shower," he muttered.

"I don't think anyone does or ever will, but coming from a cathouse like he does, Cloud's got a very good reason for hating showers."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Giving them a proper bath takes time, and with the amount of traffic they see, they need to be washed often. So the staff will lock several in one stall and hose them down. You know those self-service car washes? Turn the dial for soap, water, wax?"

Sephiroth nodded, not really wanting to hear what was coming.

"It's terrifying. The water is too hot, the pressure hurts, they get soap in their eyes, in their mouths, they can't escape, and it happens again and again."

"I didn't know." Sephiroth felt his stomach turn. No wonder Cloud had been so afraid.

"Of course you didn't. They go to great lengths to hide things like that from the public. But now you understand why Cloud would hate to take a shower?"

"Yes. I won't do it again, I swear."

"I'm glad. You can get away with giving him a full bath only once or twice a week, which will save you time. Cats don't sweat as much as people. Just wipe him down with a wet cloth at the end of the day. Bodily fluids should be cleaned off as soon as possible."

Sephiroth felt heat rising to his face and turned away to pick up Cloud. "I'll be sure to do that." He plucked the toy out of Cloud's mouth and wiped his chin.

Dr. Gainsborough opened the door and showed them out of the exam room. "I'd like to suggest that you give Cloud a few days to settle in before engaging in sexual activities with him. Moving is stressful, and while he seems comfortable with you, he would probably be much happier if you wait for him to adjust. Let him approach you, and don't worry, he will."

"So much for being a convenient sex toy." Sephiroth rubbed Cloud's head affectionately. "I'll wait."

"It shouldn't be more than a few days. As for feeding him, whatever you eat should be fine unless you're a vegetarian. He does need a high amount of protein, but it doesn't need to be—nor _should_ it be—all meat. Nuts make a great, tasty treat. Mandy, can you go in back and get _The_ _Cat Manual _and _The Guide to Cat-Hybrids_. And the pamphlets, as well. Sephiroth would like to take a look at them."

"Which pamphlets?" Mandy set a book down and jumped up.

"Oh, just get one of each. We've got plenty and they're free." She turned back to Sephiroth. "Both books have more specific information on calorie and nutritional requirements depending on the size and age of the cat and advice on meals. And if you have any more questions or run into any problems, give us a call."

"I will, thank you very much for all your help." Sephiroth shuffled Cloud over to one arm and held out his hand.

Dr. Gainsborough shook his hand warmly. "It was my pleasure. I think Cloud's found a good home with you." She disappeared into the back as Mandy came out with two books and a stack of pamphlets.

"Here you go." She held out the books. "I'll just put these pamphlets in a bag for you."

Sephiroth set Cloud down in a chair and took the books. _The Guide to Cat-Hybrids_ was written by Dr. Gainsborough; he'd pick that one up for sure. But the other looked like it would be good, too. "I'll just get them both. It never hurts to have a second source."

"Sure thing." Mandy took them back and placed them in the bag.

"The doctor mentioned special toothpaste for him. Can you tell me where to get that?"

"We've got it for sale here, or you can go to one of the hybrid shops, if you'd prefer."

"I'll pick it up here, but do the shops sell toys and things for them?"

"Oh yes, of course. I'll give you the cards for the ones I've got. Cat Emporium is my favourite. They've got all sorts of great toys. And there's a section at the back with the naughty toys," Mandy added with a blush. "But I like them because it's not _all _that stuff like some shops."

Sephiroth nodded his understanding. "I'd like to get him some fun things. And the doctor suggested floating toys for in the tub."

"Oh, those are so much fun. I have a foster cat right now who just _loves _the bathtub. I've lost track of how many times she's smacked herself in the face when they bounce back up." Mandy laughed. "Well, I guess you probably want to get going. The first checkup is free, so the books and the toothpaste come to 645 gil after taxes."

Sephiroth paid, and Mandy gave him a cookie to go for Cloud, whom he rounded up from the corner where he was inspecting a bit of dust. He buckled Cloud into the passenger seat, carefully blocking his view of the buckle as he did so. It was late, well past lunch, and they had eaten breakfast early. He wanted to get to the shop before going home, however.

"Do you think a restaurant would let you in?" he asked Cloud, who blinked at him. "Can you say, 'I don't know'?"

Cloud blinked again.

"I don't know," Sephiroth said slowly, exaggerating the movement of his lips.

"Ai-on-nyo," Cloud repeated and Sephiroth broke into a smile.

"Good job!" He handed Cloud the cookie and ruffled his hair. "You're such a clever boy."

Sephiroth froze. What would his friends say if they saw him right now? He sighed and leaned forward to kiss Cloud's forehead. They weren't here to see him fawning like a parent over their kid's first mangled word, and Cloud deserved praise. At least children were never punished or laughed at for trying to speak.

"You're a good boy." He kissed Cloud again and went around to the driver's side. Hopefully he could find a place that would serve them; he was starving. Why couldn't he have a cookie too?

XXX

A/N: No cookie for you, Sephiroth.


	4. Chapter 4

Check out the wonderful scene that Xiaa on LJ drew for chapter 3:  
>http:  / pics. livejournal. com/ xiaa/ pic/ 00184b6k  
>(Take out the spaces.)<p>

**Chapter 4**

Cloud clutched at his arm as they walked down the hall to the apartment. Sephiroth was certain that without the support, Cloud would have fallen a number of times by now. He was managing; however, Sephiroth was glad he didn't bruise easily. Cloud's tail was very enthusiastic about helping him to balance, and he had been whacked with it more times than he could count.

"Almost home," he said. "It's been a long day, hasn't it?"

Cloud nodded his head.

"Can you say 'yes'?" Sephiroth bit back a chuckle when Cloud's head drooped and he let out a tired sigh. "Fair enough. You've done far better than I might have hoped for one day."

He set the bags down so Cloud could keep hanging on to him while he fished out his keycard. When he got the door open, Cloud immediately dropped to the floor and started wiggling out of his clothes.

"Can't get out of those soon enough, hey? You did a good job keeping them on for so long." Considering the fuss that Cloud put up about putting them on, Sephiroth was rather amazed that he hadn't had to do any emergency re-dressing. He was so glad, though. Not having clothing on would make Cloud even more vulnerable to all the people who thought they had the right to touch him. "You'll get used to them, and you only have to wear them when you go outside the apartment."

Cloud finished escaping from the terrible fabric and ran off. He poked his head into every room before heading to the couch, where he curled into a ball and shut his eyes. Sephiroth went to the linen closet and got a light blanket, setting it next to Cloud on the couch in case he got cold. He dumped the bag of toys on the counter; he would go through them later and take the wrappings off for Cloud. For now, he grabbed the book by Dr. Gainsborough and lay down at the other end of the couch with his head on the armrest.

It was dark in the room when Sephiroth woke, feeling disoriented. There was a weight on his chest and he moved his arm to shove it off before pausing. It was the cat. He vaguely remembered waking up as Cloud crawled on top of him to sleep. Instead of pushing Cloud off, he wrapped his arm around his waist and rubbed his back. Cloud purred and snuggled up closer, his leg rubbing over Sephiroth's groin in the process.

Sephiroth shut his eyes and breathed deeply. Sure, he had been planning to spend the entire weekend much like he had last night, but rubbing up against him accidentally was _not_ approaching him for sex. Despite what his dick might think.

"Hey, are you hungry?" Sephiroth asked loudly, hoping to wake Cloud up and get him off of him.

Cloud's head shot up off his chest immediately and he let out a loud 'meow'.

"Okay, then. Get up. You have to get off before I can make dinner."

Cloud rolled to one side and fell of the couch, landed gracefully on all fours, then took off for the kitchen. Sephiroth picked the book up off the floor and followed at a more sedate pace. He had a couple of salmon filets and figured that rice and some frozen vegetables would make it a proper meal. Better than the drive-through hamburgers they had had for lunch, at any rate. He was certain that he could still feel the grease running through his veins.

When Cloud was more confident, and when he got used to wearing shoes so Sephiroth wouldn't have to carry him across the parking lot, Sephiroth would insist on restaurants serving his cat. He marvelled at the sheer novelty of being turned away from a cheap diner. Novel or not, however, it was ridiculous that they wouldn't let Cloud in; he was perfectly well behaved and clean.

Cloud was bounding around the kitchen excitedly, managing to always be underfoot or right behind him when he turned around. Clearly the day hadn't been _too_ tiring. "Do you want one of your new toys while you wait?" Sephiroth asked.

Cloud wiggled in excitement. "Ya!"

"All right, what would you like?" He grabbed the Cat Emporium bag and took out the things that weren't toys, then offered it to Cloud. "Just pick one for now."

Cloud dived eagerly into the bag and rummaged around, picking up toy after toy and discarding them—Sephiroth began to think that perhaps he had gone a little overboard with the toys. Finally, Cloud hauled out a fuzzy squid-like thing with pom-poms and bells on its tentacles and uttered something that sounded similar to 'this one'.

"Okay, let me cut the tags off, then you can play." Sephiroth made quick work of the packaging, then tossed the squid down the hallway. Cloud went tearing after it and Sephiroth winced when he heard what sounded like a body hitting the wall at a high speed. "You okay?" he called out.

There was a muffled yowl and Cloud came flying back out to the living room with the squid in his mouth. Reassured that he hadn't injured himself, Sephiroth returned to making dinner.

He flipped through the section on speech in Dr. Gainsborough's book while he was cooking and began thinking of some simple things he could ask Cloud to get him talking. It didn't seem to take much, though; once Cloud realized that Sephiroth wanted him to speak, he seemed willing enough to try.

XXX

"This is salmon, rice, and broccoli," Sephiroth pronounced the words clearly and pointed to each one when he set Cloud's plate in front of him. He considered having Cloud try to say the words, but he didn't want to keep food from him as a way of getting him to do things. "Be careful, it's hot."

Cloud excitedly thumped his tail on his chair and leaned over to sniff his meal. He peeled off a small section of salmon and tasted it before clacking his teeth at Sephiroth like he had at breakfast.

"Does that mean it's good?"

"G—g—" Cloud stumbled over the difficult sounds.

"It's okay," Sephiroth said, reaching over to pat his back. "You're doing really well talking, and we can practice more later. For now, eat your dinner before it gets cold."

Cloud didn't really seem to care for broccoli and spent more time rolling it around on his plate than he did eating it. At least until Sephiroth picked up a piece of his and chomped down on it exaggeratedly.

"It's good," he said around his mouthful, "You should eat yours."

Cloud raised one eyebrow—the skepticism was plain as day on his face—but he bit off a small chunk.

"Good boy, make sure you eat it all."

The rice was less easy. Sephiroth refused to never have anything that couldn't be eaten with his hands again. The book said that Cloud _could_ learn the dexterity needed to use utensils, even if he would prefer not to. So he had given them both spoons and hoped Cloud would be willing to copy him.

Cloud held the spoon awkwardly, and Sephiroth quickly switched his to his right hand so it would be clearer. "Like this. Put your thumb here, yes, just like that. And then you scoop."

Sephiroth demonstrated a few times, then watched as Cloud gave it a shot. Most of the rice fell out of the spoon on his first try, but he did a bit better the second time.

"That's it. You're doing a good job. It'll get easier, don't worry."

Cloud pursed his lips and frowned at the rice that was getting everywhere, but nodded determinedly. Perhaps tomorrow they could try with cereal for breakfast. That would be easier to scoop. Cloud seemed to be getting rather embarrassed about the mess he was making, which Sephiroth supposed made sense. Cloud liked to be very neat while he ate.

"Don't worry about the mess," he said. "I'll clean it up after, no problem." He wasn't sure if Cloud was neat because he may have been punished for being messy in the past or if he just liked being neat. But a bit of reassurance couldn't hurt.

Cloud smiled, but gave up on the spoon for a while in favour of more salmon.

XXX

It had taken coaxing, treats, and sincere promises of no showers ever again to get Cloud to go back in the master bathroom. But once he was in, and Sephiroth gave no indication of taking him into the shower, cleaning him up went fairly well. He wasn't sure how familiar he should be when wiping Cloud down with a wet cloth, but since he hadn't done a very good job washing him in the shower, he thought he might as well do it properly. Cloud held still while he washed him, and though Sephiroth felt Cloud's penis begin to harden under his touches, he didn't seem to want anything more.

When he was clean, Sephiroth broke out the new toothbrush and toothpaste. "Have you had your teeth brushed before?" he asked.

Cloud nodded, looking unhappy, but he opened his mouth.

"I'll be gentle, I promise." He tasted a small bit of the toothpaste. "Not bad, maybe I'll have to switch. Want to try some?" He held out a little dot on the end of his finger and let Cloud lick it off.

"Beh-er."

"Um, better?" Sephiroth hazarded a guess.

Cloud nodded.

"Better than what you're used to?" From what Dr. Gainsborough had said, Sephiroth wouldn't have been surprised if they dumped baking soda in the cats' mouths.

Cloud nodded again.

"That's good. I'm glad it's better. Maybe it won't be so bad." He held the back of Cloud's head gently and began brushing, starting with his back teeth. "Poke me if it's uncomfortable."

Cloud kept trying to lick the toothbrush, and working around his tongue wasn't easy, but Sephiroth got the job done. At least Cloud wasn't kicking up a fuss about it. He didn't really want to have to spend too long on simple chores.

"Good job." He ruffled Cloud's hair and gave him a kiss on the forehead when they finished. "Not so bad?"

"Nyo."

"You can go wait in the bed then while I get my teeth brushed. Don't go to sleep yet, though. I want to put some cream on your scars, and we can practice talking for a bit."

Sephiroth quickly tied his hair back in a braid and brushed his own teeth. It had been so long since he had had someone in his bed. For years now, he had just gone to the cathouses for sexual release. It would take some getting used to, but he was looking forward to having someone curled up against him at night.

XXX

Sephiroth sat down at his desk Monday morning and stared distractedly at the screen displaying his inbox. Cloud had been so upset in the morning when he said he had to go into work. He was planning to go back for his lunch break to check on him and so they could eat together—Sephiroth hadn't yet thought of what he would do for Cloud's lunches most days. He wasn't like a pet that could be fed just once or twice a day.

Feeling like the morning couldn't go by fast enough, Sephiroth clicked on a report about the escalating situation in Corel and began reading. Apparently some of the miners were getting vocal about the reactor being built there and now there was evidence that AVALANCHE had taken an interest in the site.

By the time he finished reading the report, he was in a foul mood. Shin-Ra didn't need another battleground to start spreading their already thin troops over. The war with Wutai was draining enough of their resources as it was, and eco-terrorism was becoming a real problem. At least there was a lull in the fighting in Wutai; Sephiroth wanted to get Cloud settled in before he got called back to the front. He'd also need to find someone who would take care of him while he was gone.

Those were probably all things he should have thought of before buying Cloud, Sephiroth though wryly. It wasn't like he worked a nine to five job with occasional business trips. But it was too late now. Sephiroth was thoroughly enamoured with Cloud and selling him to someone else wasn't going to happen. He'd find ways to deal with his work schedule.

There was a knock at the door and Sephiroth called out, "Come in." He glanced up at who it was. "Morning, Angeal."

"Good morning." Angeal shut the door behind him and sat down in one of the visitor's chairs. "Is it true, Sephiroth? The rumours are flying all over the office. Fair can't keep his mouth shut about it."

"Is what true?" Sephiroth asked cautiously. What would Angeal's student know about him?

"That you got a cat-hybrid."

"Oh, that. Yes, I got him on Friday and spent the weekend getting him settled in." He would have preferred to tell his friends himself, but Sephiroth had decided that the best way to handle it would be to act like it was a perfectly normal thing to do. Acting like he was embarrassed would only make people's reactions worse. "How did Fair of all people find out?"

"Have you lost your mind?" Angeal burst out of his chair. "I didn't believe it. I knew Fair was just making nonsense up, but... How could you do something like that?"

Now was the time to use the not-quite-true excuses he had given himself when he was trying to decide. Angeal disapproved of the very existence of cats, claiming it was immoral. "Something like what? Provide a home for an abused creature? Offer him proper care and affection instead of just renting him out for a night and then forgetting him?"

"Oh, please," Angeal scoffed. "Is that what you tell yourself? It isn't right. I thought you knew that."

"No, what I tell myself is that I wanted Cloud. I like cats and prefer them to humans. Cloud struck a chord with me and I felt bad for the situation he was in. That's all there is to it. I don't have to justify who I'm attracted to to you."

"Sephiroth, cats can't consent. What you're doing is rape."

Sephiroth shook his head, balking at that description, but he didn't want to argue it further in the office. "At least meet him before you say stuff like that. I haven't touched him since I brought him home; the vet I took him to said to wait until he comes to me. If he never does, I'm not going to force myself on him. But meet him. Watch him interact with me, and then tell me you think he's not capable of consent. Please?"

Angeal gave him a hard look that told Sephiroth it wouldn't be easy to change his mind. "When?"

"I've got to check on him at lunch; you can come then. Or after work. And I was going to bring him into the office tomorrow because the cleaning service is coming to the apartment during the day, but I'm not sure how he'll act then. I think he might be nervous around lots of people. It'd be better to see him at home."

Angeal didn't look happy, but he nodded. "Fine. I'll go meet him with you at lunch."

XXX

"Cloud, I'm home," Sephiroth called as he pushed the door open. He heard a thud and Cloud came careening out of the hallway and towards the entrance. But he skidded to a stop when he saw Angeal standing there. Fear was evident on his face as he looked back and forth between Sephiroth and Angeal.

"This is Angeal," Sephiroth said. "He's my friend. Don't worry, he's not going to hurt you."

"Why is he naked?" Angeal asked. He sounded like he was about half a second from walking out the door.

"Just hang on, he's scared. I'll get some pants on him in a minute. It's okay, Cloud." Sephiroth crouched down and rubbed his hand over Cloud's head. He remembered the clerk at the Honeybee saying that it had been two men who had hurt him. "Angeal's just here to say 'hello' and have lunch with us. No one's going to hurt you."

Cloud clung to him when Sephiroth picked him up and carried him to the bedroom. His entire body was shaking. Sephiroth grabbed the pants that Cloud had worn on Saturday and pulled them over his legs and carefully worked his tail through the hole. "There you go. Just for while there are guests over. You don't have to wear a shirt." He held Cloud's chin so he was looking straight at him. "Cloud, no one is going to touch you if you don't want them to. Do you understand?"

"Nyo."

"No, huh..." Sephiroth sighed and stroked Cloud's ears as he tried to think of how he could explain it. "At the cathouse, you had sex with the customers, right? Even if you were scared, or tired, or just didn't want to?" As he said it, Sephiroth felt a growing sense of revulsion at the way he had treated Cloud the night he rented him out.

Cloud nodded slowly. "Haa to."

Sephiroth smiled at the fact that Cloud had very nearly gotten the 't' sound right, though he skipped the 'd' entirely. Hard consonants were tricky for him. But his words were nothing to smile at. "You don't have to anymore. I'm not going to take your food away, or hurt you, or punish you some other way if you don't want to have sex. With me, or with anyone else."

"Nyo?"

"No. And if someone touches you or tries to touch you, I want you to tell me so I can make them stop. Will you do that for me?"

"Ya."

"Thank you." Sephiroth supposed that was one benefit to not being as intelligent as a human—it was easy to replace the old way of doing things with new ones, even if the old hurts were never quite forgotten. That was, of course, assuming Cloud actually understood and would tell him if anything happened. But that could be dealt with gradually. "Now, are you hungry?"

"Ya!" Cloud wiggled out of his lap and turned on the spot, frowning at the pants he found himself wearing.

"Just for while company is here. Angeal doesn't want to see you in all your glory. Come on, try walking upright." Sephiroth held out his hand so Cloud could use him for balance, though he seemed to not need it as much anymore; Cloud had been practicing a lot, and was getting the hang of his new balancing act.

XXX

Sephiroth looked out the corner of his eye at Angeal as they walked back to the office together. Cloud had been quiet over lunch, which wasn't too surprising. He had a lot of issues to get over; that much was obvious.

"Thanks for putting pants on him," Angeal said gruffly, leaning back against the wall of the elevator.

"No problem. I haven't been making him wear them at home—he's not used to clothes and doesn't like them."

"I guess he wouldn't be."

"I've got some shoes for him. They're more like ballet slippers with a thicker sole than proper shoes, but I want to be able to take him outside and let him walk around. It'll be a while, though. He's just learning to walk standing upright." Sephiroth ran a hand through his hair and stared at the changing floor numbers. He hated this dancing around the actual point of the conversation. It wasn't a social skill he excelled at.

"I noticed he was having difficulties. Why can't he walk?"

"He never learned. They... apparently most people don't want them walking like people."

"And you do?" Angeal raised an eyebrow at him.

"The vet I took him to the other day said it would be better. Easier to respect him. For other people, too, I hope. When we were out, complete strangers would try to touch him. It scared him."

"I overheard what you said to him. Did you really mean it?"

"About not letting anyone touch him if he doesn't want it? Of course. I think it'll take a while for him to understand, but he's not getting used like that again." The elevator came to a stop on the forty-ninth floor and they stepped out into the bustling hall. "I know you don't approve, but he's in a better situation now. I..." he paused and led Angeal into an empty conference room. "I never really thought about how cats were treated up until now. The vet, Dr. Gainsborough, she told me stuff I had never even considered. I didn't buy him with the best of intentions, I'll admit that, but now that I've gotten to know him a bit, I want to give him a better life."

"He seemed smarter than I thought he'd be."

Sephiroth nodded. "He's learning to talk. Dr. Gainsborough said that he just needs practice and encouragement. I've been working with him in the evenings, and I try to talk to him about whatever I can think of. She said that eventually he should be able to carry on a conversation."

"You're looking forward to that, aren't you?"

Sephiroth looked at Angeal. "How...?"

"You're not much for conversation with people. Apart from Genesis and me, I don't think there's anyone that you've opened up to. And the opening up you do with us is usually under duress. But if it's someone who isn't going to judge you for being strange or not knowing the proper social protocols? I think you'd be a bit excited."

He tried to shrug it off, but Angeal had hit the nail on the head. He often felt like a third wheel when he was out with Genesis and Angeal, and making new friends wasn't something that came naturally to him. But Cloud was different. Cloud didn't know to judge him. "Yeah, I guess."

Angeal gave his head a tired shake and sighed. "I don't really know what to think about this, but I feel better about it than I did this morning. He is more intelligent than I had expected him to be, that's something."

"Does this mean you're not calling me a rapist for the moment?" It didn't really matter what Angeal said, though. He may have convinced Cloud that he wanted it the other night, but that didn't mean he hadn't done something wrong.

"Not at the moment. Well, I've got to head to the training room. I told the puppy to stop telling everyone he sees—not that it'll do much good. I expect the entire company knows by now."

"I don't care. I—" Sephiroth paused and thought a moment about voicing the idea that had been forming in his head since he first spoke to Angeal. "I'm not going to hide this. I was a part of the problem with cats because I didn't know any better. I expect that's the same with a lot of people. Things aren't going to get better for them unless someone starts letting people know what's going on. Ignoring them and disapproving of their existence doesn't change anything."

Angeal snorted. "I guess I can't disapprove if you put it like that. Good luck with your newfound activism."

"I'm not going to be an activist," Sephiroth muttered while he headed for the door. "I just have a better chance of having my voice heard and maybe making a difference." He left before Angeal had a chance to say anything else; he didn't really want to hear what noble spin Angeal tried to put on it.


	5. Chapter 5

This is technically the last chapter, with the mystery added sixth chapter being the side-story I mentioned at the beginning. I don't know if I'm going to have it up next week or the week after. Exams are hard, yo.

**Chapter 5**

Sephiroth glanced down worriedly at Cloud as there was yet another knock on his office door. Cloud's ears were flat against his head and he looked absolutely miserable. The nonstop stream of people coming in and wanting to take a look at him was too overwhelming. Currently, he was crouched down, holding his knees, and trying to hide himself behind the desk drawers. When Sephiroth called for whoever it was to come in, Cloud crawled underneath the desk and leaned against Sephiroth's knees. Sephiroth reached down to stroke his ears as the door opened.

"Good morning, sir!" Angeal's student, Zack, seemed to be bursting with excitement as he came in. "Angeal said you'd be bringing him in today. Can I meet him?" Zack looked around, puzzled when he didn't see a cat.

"He's here. He's feeling a bit overwhelmed, though."

"Hiding? Yeah, I guess lots of people and a new place would freak him out. You should, like, get some cubicle walls or something to give him a private space. This office is big enough. I mean, if you want to, sir." Zack shuffled awkwardly and half-heartedly attempted to salute.

"I suppose it would be better, rumour-wise, if I didn't keep him under my desk," Sephiroth said.

Zack turned bright red and ducked his head. "Yes, sir. I suppose you're right, sir."

"Go get me some cubicle walls, then, and you can explain to me how you found out about Cloud while you're setting them up."

Zack muttered something that sounded vaguely apologetic and hustled out of the office.

"You can come out now," he said, looking down at Cloud. "At least for a few minutes. I'm sure we'll hear him coming back with the walls." He lifted Cloud up onto his lap and held him close. It probably hadn't been a good idea to bring Cloud into the office so soon after getting him, but he didn't know what else to do with him. Leaving him at home to be traumatized by the cleaners wasn't an option. "We'll make Zack build you a nice private room by the window so you can look out. Do you like watching the birds?"

Cloud had been fascinated with watching the pigeons when Sephiroth first brought him in in the morning before anyone else had arrived. He nodded with his head resting on Sephiroth's shoulder and peered over the back of the chair.

When Zack returned carrying a large cubical wall, with a Third Class trailing behind him with another, Sephiroth held on tightly to Cloud to keep him from retreating back under the desk. "You're fine up here," he said softly.

But Cloud squirmed and wiggled until he slipped out of Sephiroth's arms and disappeared under the desk. Sephiroth rolled his eyes and stood to direct Zack where to place the walls. They set them up in the corner, with one wall at an angle so Sephiroth could see in if he needed to, but no one else in the room could.

"So," Sephiroth prompted him after the Third had left, "How did you know about Cloud?"

"My girlfriend," Zack said, blushing. "She made me promise not to spread it around, and I didn't mean to, I just mentioned it once and suddenly everyone was asking me about it."

"How did your girlfriend come to know about it?"

"Her mom's a vet. You took Cloud to see her."

"Dr. Gainsborough? Put one of the visitor chairs in there, and that little table."

Zack grabbed the chair as he continued. "Yeah, that's her. Aerith said that her mom was really happy that someone had come in who actually _cared _about their cat, so she was excited too. Aerith's done a lot to help out with the rescues."

"I see." Sephiroth knelt down by the desk and began coaxing Cloud out. He had cut up some small pieces of pepperoni in the morning and used them as a lure to get Cloud out from under there and into the newly made room.

"Wow, he's got some nice colouring. I've never seen a blond like that before." Zack knelt down and held out his hand. "Hey, kitty, what's up? What a handsome cat."

Cloud paused and arched his neck a little, apparently liking the compliment, but he backed away when Zack scooted forward to pet him. "Nyo."

Zack froze in place. "Dude, did he just tell me no?"

"Yes, he did," Sephiroth said with a touch of pride. "Respect his wishes."

"Of course, of course, but, sir, he can really talk?"

"He's learning. It's coming along faster than I thought it would, actually. I think he's been wanting to talk for a long time." Sephiroth finished leading Cloud into the cubicle and set the remaining treats down on the table for him. He went back to his desk for the glass of water—he always made sure that Cloud had one available now—and set it on the table as well. "You can come out whenever you'd like," he said, stroking Cloud's head, "But no one will bother you in here. Okay?"

Cloud nodded happily and hopped up into the chair.

"Do you know much about this rescue operation they've got going?" Sephiroth asked when he returned to his desk.

"A little. They've often got a cat or two at their house, but they never stay for long. Dr. Gainsborough only brings home the ones that are in really bad shape. They stay long enough for her and Aerith to patch them up, then they foster them out. I've never actually seen a healthy cat."

"It must be hard," Sephiroth mused, mostly to himself. If they didn't have much in the way of funding, they were probably paying for it out-of-pocket.

"They manage," Zack said happily. "Neither one of them can stand to see someone in pain, so they do whatever it takes."

"That's good..." Sephiroth glanced over at Cloud, who appeared to be sound asleep on the chair. "You can go now. Thank you for the suggestion about the cubicle walls."

Sephiroth took his bank statements out of a filing cabinet after Zack left and looked them over. He could afford to make a sizeable donation, but what he really needed to do was get more public attention. How did people go about getting those oversized cheques made out for charity donations or prizes? Maybe he could get someone to drop a hint to the Silver Elite that he would be making a large donation to an underappreciated charity. That would certainly draw some attention.

XXX

"Can you get him to look over here?" Angeal looked exasperated, and Sephiroth couldn't blame him. Cloud was feeling energetic today, and getting him to pose for pictures was proving difficult.

"Come on, you," Sephiroth said playfully and wrestled Cloud into his arms. "Look! What's over there?"

"Where?" Cloud looked up at his finger, but failed to follow the direction it was pointing in.

"Over there. Look at Angeal."

Angeal snapped his fingers to draw Cloud's attention, then snapped a few shots. "That's better. I think it's better with you in the pictures, anyway. I got a bunch of him playing, as well."

"Good. He's adorable when he's playing." Sephiroth dangled a toy mouse by its tail in front of Cloud's face and laughed as he tried to catch it.

"So what are you going to talk about at this press conference?"

"Well, I'm going to explain that I'm making a donation to the Society for Cat-Hybrid Rehabilitation, and what they do. I'll say that I recently adopted a cat, and, because of that, I learned a lot of unpleasant things about the cat-hybrid industry. I've been speaking with Elmyra and she's given me more information than I ever wanted to know. The plan is to shock people past their distaste for the idea of cats and get them to agree that it isn't right the way we treat them." Sephiroth stopped fighting Cloud over the mouse and stroked his head. He didn't like to think about what Elmyra had told him. He didn't want to have to admit that it had probably happened to Cloud.

Cloud stilled and nuzzled his hand, then crawled into his lap. He had been so good about reading Sephiroth's moods. Cloud always seemed to know when he was upset.

"You're a good boy, Cloud."

Cloud gave him a large, toothy grin. "Yeah."

"Do you want to do the video now?" Angeal asked.

"Sure." Sephiroth straightened out Cloud's shirt and made sure it was covering his belly while Angeal switched cameras.

"Okay, it's rolling."

"Cloud, do you want to practice talking?"

Cloud made a humming noise and stretched his toes. "Okay."

"What did you do today while I was gone?"

"I saw a bird." Cloud's speech had improved over the past couple weeks, but his accent was still quite difficult to decipher, and Sephiroth hoped that it would be understandable in the video. All he wanted was proof that Cloud was intelligent enough to carry on a simple conversation.

"Did you? What sort of bird did you see?"

"A big one! Was black and made loud noises. Called it a..." Cloud paused and thought a moment, trying to remember the name Sephiroth had taught him. "Crow!"

"A crow? Wow! Did you catch it?"

"Nyo!" Cloud made a face at him. "Silly! It was outside."

"I am pretty silly, aren't I?" Sephiroth laughed, knowing what was coming next.

"Yeah. Silly Sephiroth."

"I think that's enough," he said to Angeal, "Now that the whole world can know that I'm 'Silly Sephiroth'."

"That's a thing, is it? He calls you Silly Sephiroth?" Angeal looked like he was fighting hard to not simply burst out laughing.

"We were practicing 's' and 'l' sounds, so I got this book that had a character named Silly Sally. I would read one line out loud and he would copy me. He decided to change things up and replaced Sally with my name. Now it's a thing." Sephiroth shrugged. It was kind of nice being in on the joke, for once. It would be interesting to see the effect it had on both his fans and his enemies.

"Of all the names you've been given over the years, I think that one's going to go down in history. Did we get all the pictures you wanted?"

"Can you take a few of his hands and feet? I want people to see the scars."

"Sure thing." Angeal grabbed the camera. "I thought it was only his hands that were messed up."

"I thought so, too, but he must have walked over the glass. He's got scars on his knees, as well. It's only his hands that cause him trouble, though." Sephiroth held Cloud's hands still, then his feet, and then rolled up his pant legs for Angeal to take some pictures of his knees.

"How're the exercises you've been working on with him coming along?"

"Not bad. I think he's gaining strength. He broke a glass the other day, and that's scared him off of trying to hold them in one hand. I got some plastic tumblers after that, but he hasn't been willing to try even with plastic ones."

"That's okay." Angeal set his camera down and petted Cloud on the head. "He'll do it when he's ready."

"I know, I just wish I had thought of plastic ones before he scared himself half to death. He would have run right through the broken glass if I hadn't been there to stop him."

"And Sephiroth keeps saying you're intelligent..."

"He _is!_" Sephiroth protested. "He just panicked."

"I was joking, Silly Sephiroth. All right, I'll go get to work on the pictures."

"Call me that again and I'll feed your corpse to Cloud. And thank you."

XXX

"We've got a full house out there, everyone," Zack said as he peered out from behind the curtains. "Why is it that when Shin-Ra calls a press conference to discuss important news, hardly anyone shows up, but when Sephiroth hints that he's going to say something, it's standing room only?"

"It's his hair," Genesis said brightly. "People are attracted to shiny things." Genesis had come back from Wutai three days ago, and Angeal had offered to go in Sephiroth's place. Sephiroth wasn't sure if that was entirely out of the goodness of his heart, or if Angeal had realized that he would be the one called on to catsit if Sephiroth had to leave. Genesis had been thrilled to learn that Sephiroth owned a cat, but had been pouting ever since he had been told that he wasn't allowed to take Cloud for a test-drive. But he had agreed to help, despite all his complaining.

"Perhaps people have realized that when I actually say something publically, it tends to be important. Whereas Shin-Ra, despite what they would have you believe, rarely says anything worth hearing." Sephiroth straightened his tie and made sure his hair was in order. He had decided to forego his ceremonial uniform and wore a suit instead; this conference had nothing to do with the military and everything to do with the public.

"Whatever the reason, I don't care." Elmyra looked rather frazzled and unaccustomed to her formalwear. "I'm just amazed that there's actually an audience."

"There might not have been if Sephiroth had told them what charity he was making the donation to," Genesis pointed out.

"Which is why I didn't. We can lock the doors once we start, and that will force them to stay and listen."

"Uhh... I think that's a fire hazard, sir," Zack said. "Not that I think they're going to leave, ma'am. They'll hear Sephiroth out."

"I hope not," Genesis muttered. "If he gets cathouses banned, I'm going to be really pissed off."

"Oh, shut up, you know that's not what I'm trying to do. Stop being a drama queen. Are we ready?"

"Yes, sir."

Elmyra gulped nervously and wiped her hands on her suit pants. "Thank you, Sephiroth, for doing this."

Sephiroth gave her a quick smile and a nod before he turned and walked up to the podium.

"Good afternoon, everyone, thank you for joining me today. I know you're all curious as to why I've invited you here, but first, there's someone I'd like you to meet. This is my cat, Cloud, and he's my inspiration behind today's meeting." A picture of Cloud appeared on the screen behind him. Angeal had chosen his best shot for the initial picture, and it portrayed Cloud in an entirely non-sexual light. Most of the people in the audience had most likely never seen a picture of a cat that had been meant for anything other than advertising their sexuality.

There was a shocked sounding titter that ran through the audience until a lone voice said, "Oh, but he's _adorable!_"

Sephiroth laughed. "Yes, he is, thank you. I'll be sure to let him know you thought so. I bought Cloud just over three weeks ago from one of the better-known cathouses." Another wave of shock ran through the audience, but the pictures kept changing behind him and it quieted down soon enough. He went on to explain his decision to buy Cloud, emphasizing the fact that he had been abused and terrified, which was why the owner had planned to sell him.

"I met a veterinarian who works with cat-hybrids, and, from her, I learned a lot more than I had ever imagined there was to know about the species. Some of it was fascinating, such as the debate on ear functionality, and the fact that they can learn how to speak."

"Really?" a skeptical voice shouted out.

"Yes, really. Would you like proof?" The audience murmured a yes, and Sephiroth signalled to the tech guy to run the video. "Cloud's still working hard on his pronunciation, so please listen carefully. It's not easy for him."

The video was short—Sephiroth had chickened out and cut the part with Cloud calling him 'Silly Sephiroth'—but the members of the audience muttered among themselves long after it finished. The tone was partly disbelieving, partly amazed. Finally, Sephiroth interrupted.

"Like I said, fascinating. That was taken about a week ago, and he's improved significantly since then. Can anyone think of a reason why this might not be common knowledge?"

Silence fell over the audience until someone called out, "If cats are allowed to speak, they might say 'no'."

Sephiroth said a silent 'thank you' to Mandy—he wasn't above having plants in the audience. "That's right. 'No' is Cloud's favourite word. He says it to everyone who tries to touch him without asking him first, and to most people who do ask. Cloud is intelligent, as you saw in that video, and he has opinions and feelings just like you and I. Bit of a shocker considering that the people who trade in them would like us to believe that they're mindless animals who want nothing but sex. It took Cloud a little while to learn that he doesn't have to let people do whatever they want to him, but now that he's figured that out, he's been much happier.

"Unfortunately, not wanting to hear cats speak is just the tip of the iceberg. The vet told me things that broke my heart. Cats mature faster than humans, but there are people who will pay extra for kittens. They have no legal protection, and the breeders can set them to work at any age they choose." Sephiroth paused, partly to give the audience time to mull that over, but mainly because he still couldn't stand to even think about it. "I don't know Cloud's past, but chances are high that he was abused as a kitten.

"Believe it or not, Cloud is one of the lucky ones." The screen switched to a picture of Cloud's hands, then his feet, then his knees. "These are his only physical scars from his time in the industry. He's lucky because, although they hinder him sometimes, they don't cause him pain anymore, and he can still do most of the things he wants to do. The unlucky cats are much worse off.

"The Society for Cat-Hybrid Rehabilitation rescues cats that have been abandoned and left to die. They take them in and nurse them back to health when they can, and euthanize them when they can't. They find good, permanent homes for them, with people who are willing to take care of them. They also lobby the government to enact laws to give cats protection. As it stands, cat-hybrids have less protection from random acts of cruelty than a rat. This needs to change, but they can't do it without public support and funding. To that end, I'd like to introduce you to Dr. Elmyra Gainsborough, founder of the Society for Cat-Hybrid Rehabilitation."

The audience clapped as Elmyra walked onto the stage, still looking nervous. She leaned in towards the microphone. "Thank you, Sephiroth."

"I'm happy knowing that Cloud has a better life now, but there are a lot more cats out there that need our help. So I'd like you to present you with this." Sephiroth gestured and Genesis came out on stage carrying the oversized cheque.

Elmyra stumbled and did a double take at the cheque. "Five hundred thousand!" she whispered. "You said it was going to be two!" The microphone picked it up, and another shocked murmur ran through the crowd.

"I convinced some other people to chip in," Sephiroth said with a shrug.

Genesis smiled brilliantly at the audience and leaned in to the microphone. "I'd like to point out that it's not nice to hit your friends up for cash when they've been travelling for two days solid. They tend to write large cheques if they're tired enough."

"Thank you, Genesis." Elmyra smiled warmly and hugged him. "And I'd like to thank everyone for coming today, and for staying to hear what Sephiroth had to say. There is an unfortunate stigma attached to cat-hybrids, but it's people like you who can change that stigma into something good. I've put together packages with information about the hybrids, the work the society is doing, and what you can do to help. Some of it will be difficult to read through, but if that's the case, imagine how much _more_ difficult it is to live through."

"Yes, thank you for coming. Dr. Gainsborough and I will be available to answer questions in the lobby in approximately half an hour."

XXX

"Cloud, are you still okay with the reporter coming over to talk to you today?" Sephiroth asked as he poured milk for their morning's breakfast.

"Wait..." Cloud was staring intently at the toaster. He claimed that he was watching to keep it from burning, but really, he just liked to see the toast pop up. They ended up with burnt toast more often than not. When the toaster popped, Cloud grabbed the slices out of the air and tossed them down on a plate. "Done!"

"Good job." Sephiroth started buttering them. "And my question?"

"Asking about the rules, right?" Cloud thumped his tail on the counter.

"That's right. He's going to ask what you think of the changes that got made." The Hybrid Cruelty Act had passed just last week, and Sephiroth had spent many long hours explaining it to Cloud.

"I have to wear pants?"

"Yes, you have to wear pants." Clothing was still their big sticking point, even after a year.

Cloud sighed dramatically. "I guess. But I don't think the rules are good enough."

"Then, that's what you should tell him. If you can tell him why you don't think they're good enough, that's even better."

"Hmm..." Cloud hopped down off the counter to help carry their breakfast to the table. "Because... because..." Cloud fell silent for most of the meal until he suddenly shouted, "Because it's not enough!" He stomped his foot angrily.

"Okay, that's okay. I agree that it's not enough. It's a start, that's all." The bill had set the minimum age that cats could start working at to fourteen, and called for the registration of all cats. Cathouses would be required to get a license now, but there was nothing about minimum standards they would have to adhere to in order to be licensed. "I just want you to tell him what you honestly think, can you do that for me?"

"Yeah. There should be a rule that says 'No hurting cats. It's bad'."

"I agree. That would be a very good thing to tell him."

"And a rule that says 'Cloud gets to eat your last sausage'?"

"Now _that_, I think, is a bit unreasonable. Cloud can have half the sausage."

"Meany."

Sephiroth cut the last sausage in half and put it on Cloud's plate. "Keep that attitude up and I'll get out the laser pointer again."

Cloud looked positively scandalized. "I won't look! I'll cover my eyes and I will not look!" With that, he snatched up the sausage and ran off to the coat closet to hide.

XXX

"Do you like living here? With Sephiroth?"

"Yes. I like it here a lot. And I like Sephiroth a lot."

"What do you like about Sephiroth?"

"He's nice. He makes very good things to eat, and he takes me for walks, and he plays with me, and he lets me sleep in his bed, and lots of stuff."

"What about before?"

"Before?"

"When you lived in the cathouses. Did you like that?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I didn't like it."

"Yes, but why didn't you like it? ... Sorry, I didn't catch that."

"He said it hurt. He doesn't like talking about it; move on to a different question."

"Don't you want people to hear what it's like from an actual cat?"

"I would like that, but not if it upsets him. Move on to a different question, or the interview's over."

"Of course. Cloud, you know that the Hybrid Cruelty Act was passed last week?"

"Yes."

"What do you think of the new laws?"

"I think they're good, but..."

"But?"

"It's not good enough. There's no rule that says you can't hurt me if you wanted to. I don't want to get hurt."

"Sephiroth wouldn't stop me from hurting you?"

"Sephiroth would stop you, but Sephiroth's nice. Lots of cats don't have nice owners. Some owners don't care if you hurt their cats as long as you give them money. I don't like money. I like to not be hurt. And some owners hurt their cats just because they're angry, or they feel like it, or maybe for no reason at all."

"So you're worried about the other cats who don't have nice owners like Sephiroth?"

"Yes. They don't like to get hurt, either."

"But you don't mind the fact that Sephiroth owns you? That you're his property?"

"No. Sephiroth takes care of me. I'd be hungry and sad if he didn't."

"What if you could live on your own? Would you want to do that?"

"On my own? I don't think so. I'd be hungry. I'm not allowed to use the stove or sharp knives."

"Okay, but if food wasn't an issue. Like, maybe someone would help cook meals for you and do other things that you can't do by yourself, but other than that, you'd be on your own and able to do whatever you want."

"I don't think I'd like that."

"Why not?"

"I'd miss Sephiroth. Whose lap would I sit in? Would there be a lap? Not everyone has a good lap for sitting; sometimes my bum falls off the edge of other people's laps. And he wouldn't be able to pat my head and tell me that I'm a good boy. _And_ I couldn't have sex with him if I was all alone! He gives really good blowjobs, you know. And if I caught something, I couldn't bring it to him as a present. Then he'd be sad. I caught a frog for him once."

"That's nice..."

"Sephiroth ate it and said it was yummy."

"You ate it?"

"Of course, it was a gift. I mean, I cooked it first, obviously."

"He was so happy! So... no, I don't want to live alone. Sephiroth's my friend."

"You don't mind that you're only allowed to go outside when he says you can?"

"No. Outside by myself is scary. I got lost once, you know. So now I only like going outside with Sephiroth."

"What about other things? Don't you mind that you have to follow his rules?"

"I don't mind Sephiroth's rules so much. I don't like wearing pants, but other than that, they're okay. There are always good reasons for his rules, even the pants one. You have to follow rules, too, you know. I know about that. Like the rules they made about the cats. If you don't follow them, you get in trouble. Why's that different?"

"Laws are set to ensure the comfort and wellbeing of everyone in society. They're not made on an individual basis at someone's whim."

"Um... I don't understand."

"I think they might be considered different because I'm the only one who makes the rules, so there's no one who can say that it's not a good rule. And you're the only one who has to follow my rules. You're not allowed to go outside whenever you want, but I can, and Angeal can, and everyone else can, as well. So, some people say that it's not fair that the rules are only for you. Do you understand?"

"That's why it's different?"

"Yes."

"But... your rules keep me safe. Isn't that good?"

"Don't worry about what I think. This is about what you think. Do you think it's good, or do you think it's unfair? Tell Mr. Lougheed."

"I... I like to go outside, and I wish I could go out whenever I want like everyone else, but it's scary when I'm alone. I know that you—that Sephiroth is busy a lot, but he takes me out every day, at least for a walk. That's nice, even though he's busy. I'd rather go less often than go by myself. I don't think it's unfair. I think that some rules are unfair, like no touching myself, but Sephiroth said that those were bad rules, and I don't have to follow them anymore. Sephiroth's rules keep me safe. I think they're good rules."

"Okay, that was well thought out, Cloud."

"Thank you!"

"Do you want to take a break now, Cloud? Maybe you can show Mr. Lougheed how you make sandwiches for lunch."

"Okay, I can do that. I make really good sandwiches."

Genesis turned off the TV and turned to Sephiroth. "You really are going to get cathouses banned, you realize that, right? And then I'll have to kill you."

"I'm not! But wouldn't you rather go to a place where the cats are well-treated and actually _want_ to be there?"

"I would love that, but there's not going to be a nice middle ground like that. That Lougheed guy is taking things too far. You realize that he was trying to convince Cloud that he should object to belonging to you and go off to join some colony of feral cats in the country?"

Sephiroth snorted and rubbed Cloud's ears. "Yeah, I realized. I'm very happy that you don't want to leave me." He turned back to Genesis. "But if he ever decides that he wants to leave, he can, as long as he'll be taken care of and safe."

"That's very noble and all, but the end result of this is very blue balls for me. I don't want a cat of my own."

"If they close the cathouses, I'll have sex with you," Cloud said rather enthusiastically.

Genesis choked on his beer. "Say what!"

"Just a little, though. And Sephiroth has to watch."

"Oh, do I?"

"Of course! You like to watch me touch myself; it's the same. And you wouldn't have to just _watch._"

"Sephiroth?" Genesis said.

"Yes?"

"Is your cat proposing a threesome?"

"It would appear so."

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love him?"

"Keep dreaming. He said _if_ the cathouses get closed, and that's not going to happen."

XXX

A/N: Cloud has a teeny bit of a crush. And no sense of monogamy.

Anyways, so the next chapter is the getting lost thing that Cloud mentioned in his interview. It didn't really fit in with the main story, though.


	6. Cloud's Day Out

Last chapter! This one ends in smut, so don't read it at work. The story occurs at some point before the interview at the end of chapter 5.

**Chapter 6 – Cloud's Day Out**

A loud buzzing sound caused Cloud to blearily open his eyes and blink in the direction it was coming from. It wasn't very nice, disturbing his nap like that. Still, it did sound interesting. He hopped off the couch and went to investigate. He spotted the culprit in the corner above the door. A big black bug was buzzing angrily in the corner. Cloud crouched down low and wiggled his haunches, calculating the exact height he would need to jump in order to reach it.

He leapt, reaching out his hands to smack it, but didn't quite get it. It was the pants! He _hated_ pants. They ruined everything! He leapt again and managed to knock the bug down that time, but it escaped from under his hand and crawled under the bottom of the door. Frantic, he scrabbled under the door and his finger brushed over it, but he couldn't grab it.

The door! It was on the other side of the door. But... this was the door that only Sephiroth was allowed to open. Sephiroth wouldn't be mad, though, if Cloud just opened it to catch the bug, would he? He wouldn't be, Cloud decided. He would understand. He stood and looked at the doorknob. There was a trick to this one. He had to turn the top part first, then the bottom part, and then it would open. He didn't quite see the point of having a trick door; it made things very difficult.

When he got both parts figured out, he opened the door very slowly, so the bug wouldn't know he was there. But when he poked his head around to surprise it, the bug was gone. He checked all around the door and under his feet, just in case, but it had disappeared.

Well, that was disappointing. There was a 'ding', and Cloud glanced up and watched someone get out of the moving box that he could never remember the name of. The person walked down the hall in the other direction, but the doors to the box stayed open. Riding in the box was fun and might even make up for having lost the bug. Cloud hurried over, knowing that the doors would close again soon.

He got in just as the doors began to close and waited excitedly for it to start moving. He liked to jump when it went down because it made him feel like he was jumping even higher. When it finally started to move—it seemed to take a very long time—he leapt as high as he could and tapped the ceiling.

The doors opened again on the floor that he and Sephiroth would go to when they went outside. Outside was fun, so Cloud scooted past the people who started getting in the box and ran for the door. It was nice today; Cloud blinked happily in the sunlight and headed in the direction that he knew the park was in. The park was the best outside place. There was grass there, and he could roll and roll and roll in it. He always had to have a bath whenever they got back from the park, but it was worth it.

A loud honking noise startled him out of his thoughts about the park and how much fun it would be when he got there. There was a screeching noise, followed by more honking, and then someone yelled. Cloud bolted in the direction he was facing and didn't slow down until he was far, far away. That never happened when he was out with Sephiroth. He didn't understand where the noise had come from, or why someone would yell, and it was scary. He kept going even after he had slowed, wanting to be as far as possible from the noises. It wasn't until someone bumped into him, then grabbed his ear saying something about a cat, that he stopped.

"No," he said, feeling even more frightened as he looked around. The person laughed and walked away, but that didn't make him any less scared. He didn't recognize any of the buildings around him, and, as he turned around, he realized that he had no idea where he had come from or how to get back home.

His feet hurt, too. Cloud looked down at them and saw little red footprints where he was stepping. He didn't _like_ the shoes that Sephiroth made him wear when they went outside, but Sephiroth said that they protected his feet from things on the ground. Maybe he had been right. Things on the ground hurt a lot.

He looked around again, hoping to see something that he recognized, or maybe Sephiroth coming up the street to bring him home. There were lots of people, but no one he knew. Where was Sephiroth? Cloud blinked until his vision wasn't as blurry. He wanted to go home.

"Hey, are you—"

Cloud whipped around and saw a big man reaching for him. He ran again, as fast as he could, until he was out of breath.

XXX

Denzel readjusted his backpack and sighed as he made his way home. He didn't like his new grade; there were way too many books to carry. The teacher was nice, but she assigned a lot of work—he had to write two _whole_ paragraphs by tomorrow.

"Stupid homework," he muttered, kicking a stone. It clanged off a dumpster just inside an alley, and Denzel heard an odd noise from behind it. It sort of sounded like someone was crying, but weird. Maybe it was a monster! He had heard that there were monsters in the slums, but his dad always said that they were safe from them up on the plate. He had always wanted to see one, though.

He crouched down and crept quietly towards the dumpster, hoping to catch a glimpse of it. As he edged around the corner, a figure came into view. That wasn't a monster at all! Just some kid _way_ bigger than he was, curled up in a ball and crying. Or was it? He got a little bit closer and realized that the kid had big cat ears on his head. "Hey, are you one of those—"

The kid's head shot up, and he started scrambling away.

"Hey, don't run. I'm not going to hurt you," Denzel spoke in his softest voice, the way his mom had told him to talk when they found that bird that had been hurt. "It's okay. Why are you crying?"

The kid—he really was one of those cat-people he had heard about; Denzel could see his tail—stopped and just stood there, shaking.

"Did you get hurt?" He could see tears in the pants that the cat-boy was wearing. It looked like he had fallen and scraped his knee.

"Home!" It was more of a wail than a word, but Denzel thought he understood.

"Home? Are you lost? I got lost once, and it was really scary. I cried too. A lady found me and took me to her house until my mom came and got me. Do you want to come to my house? Will someone come and get you?" Denzel held out his hand. The cat-boy seemed a lot more scared than he had been, but Denzel hadn't scraped his knee, either.

He timidly reached out and Denzel took hold of his hand firmly. "My mom will be at home. She'll know what to do."

XXX

Sephiroth was doing his best to remain calm. Security footage had shown Cloud just wandering out of the building on his own; no one was _actively_ trying to harm him. But still, Cloud was out there on his own, and, despite his intelligence, he simply wasn't capable of taking care of himself.

He had patrols out doing a grid search; Sephiroth was fairly sure that the number of SOLDIERs out on the street was unprecedented. The civilians probably thought that Wutai had invaded or something. He had combed over the places Cloud was most likely to go several times, but, while Cloud loved the park and the various fountains, Sephiroth wasn't confident in his ability to get to them on his own. If he had just stopped at the fountain outside of headquarters, that would have been great.

Genesis was waiting at headquarters on the off chance that Cloud managed to find his way back. If Cloud was frightened, Genesis had the best chance of keeping him there until Sephiroth got back. He suspected that Cloud had more than a casual interest in Genesis, and he wasn't jealous enough to keep from using that information if he needed to.

His PHS buzzed and Sephiroth glanced at the caller ID before answering. "Anything?"

"I've got a guy who says he saw him approximately... eight minutes ago," Angeal said, "But he ran off when he tried to catch him. I've told—"

"Where?"

"On the border between Sectors Six and Seven. Russell said he ran towards Seven, but he lost him."

"I'm heading over there." Sephiroth waved the trooper he had assigned as his driver over, and they got in the car. "Sector Seven. What were you saying before?"

"Just that I told my guys to not approach Cloud if they see him, but to call it in and tail him instead."

"Good thinking. Pass those orders on. Did your guy say anything else?"

"He looked scared, but in one piece. That's what you want to know?"

"Yes. Thanks." Sephiroth hung up and breathed a sigh of relief. As of, well, nine minutes ago, Cloud wasn't hurt. That was something.

Two hours later, the feeling of relief had worn off, and Sephiroth was back to doing his best to stay calm as he checked down yet another alley. Rush hour would be starting soon, and he had never taught Cloud about traffic safety. Then it was going to get dark, and then it would be night, and the weather forecast was predicting frost overnight. The security footage had shown that Cloud was wearing pants, which was significantly better than nothing, but not enough to keep him warm. He wasn't allowing himself to think about the potential for Cloud to run into monsters.

When his PHS buzzed again, Sephiroth breathed a tired sigh. He was long past getting his hopes up every time it rang. He didn't even check to see who it was before he answered.

"Sephiroth."

"You may want to murder the dragons that guard your phone number," Genesis's voice trailed out of the speaker. "They've been keeping you from getting exciting news."

"What is it, Genesis?" He was too tired and too stressed to play games.

"Got a guy named Abel here. He's an office worker at Shin-Ra."

"Uh-huh." Sephiroth leaned over the fence into someone's yard to see if Cloud might be there.

"Anyway, his wife called him; she's been trying to get through to you for quite some time now, but no one will forward her call. She's wondering if you're missing your cat because she thinks she's found Cloud."

"Shit, Genesis! Why didn't you just say so?" Sephiroth turned and ran back to the car as fast as he could. "Where?"

"Their place is in Sector Seven." Genesis gave him the address and Sephiroth passed it on to the driver.

"Call her and tell her I'm coming and not to frighten him."

"I think she's got him inside. Apparently, their kid found him on his way home from school and took him home."

Sephiroth nodded without saying anything. Cloud liked children; it made sense that he would trust one enough to get him somewhere safe. "Tell Abel 'thank you' for me." He hung up and tapped anxiously on the armrest as the drove to the address.

The house was small—typical of a low-level office worker—but very homely. The yard was full of decorations and fake flowers. Sephiroth imagined that whoever had done the garden had come from outside Midgar and missed the ability to grow flowers. A young boy opened the door as he approached.

"Wow, Mr. Sephiroth?"

"That's me." Sephiroth forced himself to pause and smile at the boy. "I hear you found my cat."

"I did." The boy puffed up his chest proudly. "I got him to come home with me even though he was really scared."

"Thank you. That was a very kind thing to do."

"Sweetheart, no, don't stand!" The partially open door banged open all the way and Cloud came flying out followed by a panicked looking woman. "Denzel, stop him!"

Sephiroth quickly knelt and held out his arms. Cloud hit him with the force of a grand horn, and Sephiroth gathered him up. "Shh, it's okay," he murmured. Cloud was crying and wailing something incoherent.

"I'm so sorry," the woman gasped, "I was trying to keep him sitting down—he's hurt his feet—but he wouldn't stay when he heard you."

"It's okay." Sephiroth quickly checked the bottoms of Cloud's feet. They were covered in blood and dirt; glass and gravel were stuck in a few places and they were scraped up. The run across the walkway probably hadn't done any more damage. "I'll get him cleaned up and healed. Thank you so much for taking care of him."

"I was going to clean up his cuts, but I didn't want to frighten him anymore than he already was. I'm Chloe, by the way."

"It's okay, really, Chloe. Just leaving it was probably the best decision." Sephiroth wiped Cloud's eyes and kissed his forehead. "Hey? Come on, you're all right. I know. You're scared. It's okay." He stood with Cloud in his arms and smiled at Chloe. "I'm sorry for all the trouble you went to. Thank you."

"It wouldn't have been any trouble. I figured out that he was probably yours fairly quickly, but when I called Shin-Ra... If they had just _asked you_ if Cloud was missing..."

Sephiroth squashed down the rage he was feeling towards the receptionists and focused on something less infuriating. "Did he tell you he belongs to me?"

"No." She shook her head. "He didn't say anything to me, but Denzel told me that he had said 'home'. I assumed that he probably _could_ speak, but that he was just too upset. Between that and his colouring, I guessed that he was yours—I've seen the interviews with him—so I asked him if his name was Cloud, and he nodded."

"Good boy, Cloud." Sephiroth hugged him tightly. "Well, thank you again. I don't have my chequebook on me, but Genesis has your husband's information. I'll send you something for your trouble."

"You don't have to—"

"Yes, I do. Cloud is very important to me, and I'd pay anything to get him back. And thank you, Denzel, for your help. If you'd like anyone's autograph, or maybe a tour of the SOLDIER floor, tell your father, and I'll arrange it."

Cloud's grip on him didn't loosen any when Sephiroth carried him back to the car, so he held him in his lap in the passenger seat. "Drive carefully," he said, stroking Cloud's head. "I need to take him to the vet clinic. It's in the slums; I'll give you directions."

XXX

Elmyra and Mandy were waiting at the door of the clinic. The sign said they were closed, but they opened the door as soon as the car pulled up.

"You can wait here or in the clinic," he said to the driver as he got out. "I'm not sure how long we'll be."

"Yes, sir. I'm fine here." The driver turned on the radio and tilted his chair back, so Sephiroth figured he would be fine for however long it took.

"Okay, Cloud, let's get you fixed up."

"Hi, Cloud," Mandy called, "I hear you had an adventure today. Did you at least have some fun?"

Cloud raised his head off of Sephiroth's shoulder and shook his head.

"Aww, that's too bad. I guess it's not as much fun going on an adventure without your Sephiroth. Well, come on in. Would you like a cookie while you're getting cleaned up?"

Cloud sniffled and nodded. Mandy had one ready for him.

"Bring him back here, Sephiroth," Dr. Gainsborough said. "Anything major that you're worried about?"

"No," Sephiroth set Cloud down on the exam table, but held onto him. "His feet are a mess, and he's got some scrapes, but I don't think there's anything serious. If I wasn't so relieved, I'd throttle him."

"No, you wouldn't. I'm just going to check you over, Cloud." Elmyra gently removed Cloud's pants and began inspecting his various bruises and scrapes, then got out some supplies to begin cleaning out his feet. "Where did you find him?"

"Sector Seven. Some kid found him and brought him to his mother. She eventually got through to Genesis after she figured out who Cloud was."

"You know—"

"I know. I know, you're right, and I'm wrong, but I just _can't_ put a collar on him. He's not an animal."

"Good Gaia, Sephiroth, when I said he needed identification, I didn't mean a collar!" Elmyra looked up from tweezing gravel out of Cloud's feet long enough to shoot him a glare.

"Well, what am I supposed to do, then? He'd lose an ID card. To be honest, I'm amazed he was wearing pants at all when he went out."

"Was sleeping and forgot to take them off," Cloud said around his cookie.

"Oh good, you haven't completely forgotten how to speak." Sephiroth got a tissue and began wiping Cloud's face clean.

"Ow."

"Sorry, sweetie, just a few more to go. Have you ever seen those medical alert bracelets?" Elmyra asked.

"No, I don't think so."

"It's a simple silver bracelet, but they've got a section that's wide enough to put important medical information on. You could get something like that for him. No one would realize what it was unless they needed to. You could even write his information on the inside of the band and put a design on the outside. But he needs _something_ in case this happens again. A child finding him and his mother recognizing him was damn lucky."

"That's a really good idea," Sephiroth conceded. "Would you like that, Cloud? A bracelet that says our names and my phone number in case you get lost again?"

Cloud nodded vigourously. "Yes. I don't want to get lost again. I didn't like it."

"I know. It was scary for me, too." Sephiroth hugged Cloud tightly for a moment.

"Did things honk at you, too?"

"No, nothing honked at me. What honked at you?"

Elmyra snickered quietly, and Sephiroth frowned in her direction.

"I don't know... maybe a car. Cars honk, right?"

"Yes, they do, and you're getting a lesson in traffic safety tomorrow."

"They've never honked at me before. It was scary and loud. Ow!" Cloud glared at Elmyra before attempting to grab the antiseptic away from her.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but I've got to clean up your cuts."

"No! No hurting! Sephiroth, she's hurting!" He grabbed for the antiseptic again, but Elmyra held it out of his reach.

"Cloud, you have to let the doctor fix you. I know it hurts, but it will hurt more if you don't let her. She has to clean your cuts before she can use magic to heal them." Sephiroth turned Cloud's face away and attempted to keep him distracted while Elmyra went back to work. "Cleaning cuts always hurts, but then you'll get to see the pretty light, and it won't hurt anymore."

"I don't like it, Sephiroth!"

"I know, but I need you to be a brave boy for me." Sephiroth leaned in and kissed Cloud on the lips, hoping that it might serve as a decent distraction. He ran his tongue over Cloud's lower lip and nibbled on it gently. "Can you be brave for me?" he murmured.

"You know, I've just never understood how people can intentionally inflict pain on a cat for fun," Elmyra said. Sephiroth made a responsive sort of noise, but kept kissing Cloud. "Cats just know that it hurts and that they don't like it; they don't understand anything more than that, so why not find a partner who can get enjoyment from pain? There are plenty of people out there who enjoy a good flogging."

"I don't know," Sephiroth mumbled around Cloud's lips. "Are you almost done?" Cloud was getting grabby in a way that suggested that things would be getting inappropriate for the vet's office very quickly. It didn't help that he was feeling a bit grabby himself. His emotions from the day seemed to have culminated in the desire to fuck Cloud into a boneless heap incapable of walking out the door by himself.

"Just about... okay, all done, Cloud. I'll just get the materia."

Cloud turned away from him and fixed Elmyra with a vicious glare. "I don't like you."

"You were very brave." Sephiroth turned Cloud's head back towards him and kissed him on the nose. "Thank you for letting the doctor do her job."

"I am very brave, but she was mean!" Cloud thumped his tail on the exam table.

"What if she makes all the pain go away? Would you still not like her?"

"Well..." Cloud hesitated and looked suspiciously at Elmyra, who had come back in with a green orb. "Maybe I'd like her a little bit."

"Well, I'll see what I can do to get back in your good books, then, shall I? Cure." Elmyra cast the weak spell, and Sephiroth laughed as Cloud attempted to catch the light. "There you go, you little brat." She put the materia back on the counter and gave Cloud a gentle swat on his thigh. "Put your pants on."

Cloud held out his arms to Sephiroth. "More kisses. I had a bad day."

"Pants first." Sephiroth held out the torn pants. He'd toss them once they got home.

Cloud ignored the pants and glared again. "I kiss you when you have a bad day."

"And you'll get your kisses, but first you need pants or Elmyra will kick us out of here, and the driver won't let us in the car, so we'll have to walk home. And then I'll be tired and cranky and in no mood for kissing or anything else. Put your pants on."

"Fine," Cloud grumbled and hopped off the table. "Pants are stupid. It was their fault I went out in the first place."

XXX

The day's troubles were very nearly forgotten as Sephiroth carried Cloud through the apartment door. Sephiroth had kept his word and kissed him for the whole car ride home, but now Cloud had had enough of just kissing. So he rubbed up against Sephiroth and pressed his tail between his legs and hoped he got the hint. Sometimes it was very hard to be the one who always had to ask for sex. Sephiroth was a bit weird that way, which had taken quite a lot of getting used to.

It appeared, however, that Sephiroth had gotten the hint very nicely, and, as the door slammed behind them, Cloud found himself without the stupid pants before he even realized that Sephiroth was taking them off. He attempted to get the clasps on Sephiroth's coat undone, but they were tricky. Normally, Sephiroth would lean back and let him have some time to get them figured out, but this time Sephiroth wouldn't stop kissing and touching and generally making things very difficult. He found himself bouncing on his back on the bed before he had even gotten one clasp undone. Sephiroth stood over him and stripped his coat off far faster than Cloud could have managed, which was rather disappointing. He liked the challenge. But then Sephiroth took his pants off as well, and Cloud quickly forgot his disappointment.

He sat up before Sephiroth could move and grabbed onto his hips, nuzzling his face into Sephiroth's groin.

"Just lick," Sephiroth murmured, running a hand through his hair and rubbing his ears.

"I know." Cloud wasn't allowed to put Sephiroth's penis in his mouth, not until he stopped accidentally chewing on Sephiroth's fingers, at least. It was hard to not chew things that were in his mouth. But he could still make Sephiroth feel good with licking.

He licked slowly from the tip all the way to the bottom and back up again along the other side. As he continued to lick, he could hear little groans coming from Sephiroth and could feel the fingers in his hair tightening and loosening. Cloud grinned and licked some more; that meant he was doing a good job.

"Hands too."

Cloud rolled his eyes at Sephiroth's impatience—he was being even _more_ patient, after all. But he supposed that Sephiroth could be a little bit impatient after coming to rescue him. He wrapped one hand around Sephiroth's shaft and stroked firmly, the way he knew Sephiroth liked. He kept his other hand braced on Sephiroth's hip, but moved his mouth to the head of his cock. Sephiroth was the most sensitive there, so he licked it and pressed his tongue into the slit, tasting the bitter fluid that was coming out.

"Good boy," Sephiroth murmured softly.

Cloud grinned at the praise and very carefully sucked the tip between his lips, making sure it didn't go past his teeth. He had very sharp teeth; Sephiroth was quite right to be afraid, even though Cloud would never hurt him on purpose. He moved his other hand down to Sephiroth's balls and squeezed them carefully. He liked the way they moved on their own when Sephiroth came, and he was pretty sure that Sephiroth was getting close, judging by the way his grunts and groans were getting louder and how he was leaning on Cloud's shoulder for support.

Cloud sucked a bit harder on the tip and swirled his tongue around until he felt Sephiroth's balls twitch in his hand and pull up towards his body. The first spurt of semen went in his mouth, but then Sephiroth pulled back a little ways and laid his hand over Cloud's, squeezing tighter and stroking himself even faster. He held Cloud's head where it was as he came, making a mess all over his face. That was okay, though, Cloud thought as he continued to dart out his tongue. He had never liked it before when he was all messy and people would laugh at him, but Sephiroth would wipe off his face and tell him he was a good boy when he was done.

Sephiroth was breathing heavily when he let go of Cloud's head and hand and then leaned down to lift him up. He placed Cloud further up on the bed so he was lying back on the pillows, then took a wet thing out of a container and began gently wiping his face clean.

"You're a good boy, Cloud. That felt really nice." Sephiroth kissed him and stroked with one finger down his cheek.

"I did a good job?" Cloud knew it was true, but it was fun to make Sephiroth say it as many times as he could.

"Yes, you did a very good job." Sephiroth kissed him again then tugged on his tail. "Your turn. Hands and knees."

Cloud flipped over and stuck his ass up high, waving his tail enticingly. Sephiroth caught it and stroked several times, going up the whole length and tugging very gently, while Cloud settled down on his elbows and purred. Sephiroth knew how to stroke his tail just right to make it feel really good. He felt Sephiroth's hot breath ghosting over his thighs and spread his legs a bit wider as Sephiroth lifted his tail up high.

When the tip of Sephiroth's tongue touched his hole, Cloud moaned and buried his face in the pillows. A hand came around and stroked his erection as Sephiroth pressed his tongue in deeper, spreading him open and brushing over his sensitive spot. He couldn't hold still and rocked into the hand on his cock and then back, relaxing his muscles, and letting Sephiroth lick inside him. It felt so nice; Sephiroth continued to stroke his tail every once in a while. Two gentle tugs when he held the base, then a long slow stroke up the length. He panted and gripped the pillows hard while the sensations continued to assault him, until he couldn't hold out any longer and came with a loud cry.

Sephiroth continued to lick and stroke ever so gently, and Cloud purred happily when he was rolled back over. He lay still while Sephiroth cleaned him off, perfectly content for the moment.

"You're shaking, Cloud. Are you okay?"

"Mm hmm," Cloud hummed. Of course he was okay. Though all his muscles did seem to be shaking a rather lot. That was very strange.

"Shit, you haven't eaten, have you?"

Cloud's eyes popped open. "I didn't have lunch!"

"Or supper. You wait here; I'll grab you a snack and then make something more substantial for supper."

When Sephiroth brought him some pepperoni sticks and cheese to eat in bed, Cloud noticed that he hadn't put his pants on again. "Can we play some more after supper?" he asked.

"Oh yes, I'm not done with you by a long shot. We're going to play until you're too tired out to consider going out on your own again."

"That's nice." Cloud hummed happily and gnawed on his pepperoni. Playing until he was exhausted was lots of fun.

XXX

A/N: Thank you so much for reading!


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